Understanding The Process: Bills To Laws

The process of how a bill becomes a law is a lengthy one. In the United States, the House of Representatives is responsible for creating laws. All laws in the US begin as bills, which can be proposed by a Representative or a citizen. Once a bill is proposed, it needs a sponsor and the support of other Representatives. It is then introduced in the House of Representatives, where it is placed in a special box called the hopper and assigned a number. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and it is sent to a committee for review, research, and revision. The committee may also send the bill to a subcommittee for further examination. Once the committee has approved the bill, it is sent back to the House floor for debate and voting. If the bill passes in the House, it is then sent to the Senate, where it goes through a similar process. If the bill passes in the Senate, it is sent to the President, who can choose to sign and pass the bill, veto it, or do nothing (pocket veto). If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can hold another vote, and if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, it becomes a law. If the President does nothing while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes a law after 10 days.

The Bill Is Proposed

The legislative process begins with a new policy idea. Senators often come up with those ideas, but they can also come from a senator's constituents, an organisation, or a state official. This idea serves as the starting point for any new bill or law. Once an idea for a new law has been settled on, it must be drafted as a bill. A bill is a set of instructions for changing the language of the laws. Bill drafting requires specialised legal training and is usually carried out by the staff of New York State's Legislative Bill Drafting Commission.

Once a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in the hopes of getting their support for it. The sponsor is the primary Congress member supporting the bill, and other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

The Bill Is Introduced

The first step in the process of turning a bill into a law is the introduction of the bill. In the U.S., only members of the House of Representatives can introduce a bill. The bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. Once introduced, the bill is assigned a number that begins with H.R. and is then read out loud to all the Representatives.

After the bill is introduced, it is sent to a committee. Committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee reviews, researches, and revises the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee requires more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee.

The Bill Is Proposed

Before a bill is introduced, it needs to be proposed. A Representative will discuss the bill with other Representatives to gain their support. Once the bill has a sponsor and the support of other Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

The Bill Goes to Committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will review, research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members with expertise in different topics such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs. When a bill is in the hands of the committee, it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. The committee may even choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on a certain topic. Often, committees refer bills to a subcommittee for study and their own hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee. If the committee members would like more information before deciding if the bill should be sent to the House floor, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. While in subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

When the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They make changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the "floor". If a committee votes not to report legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

The Bill Is Voted On

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reported, it is ready to be voted on. There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives:

• Viva Voce (voice vote): The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say “aye” and those that oppose it say “no.”
• Division: The Speaker of the House asks those Representatives who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to stand up and be counted.
• Recorded: Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system. Representatives can vote yes, no, or present (if they don’t want to vote on the bill).

If a majority of the Representatives say or select yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

The Bill Is Sent to the President

Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President has three options:

• Sign and pass the bill, at which point it becomes a law.
• Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill. The bill is then sent back to the House of Representatives, along with the President's reasons for the veto. If the House of Representatives and the Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on the bill. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law.
• Do nothing (pocket veto). If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

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