Kids' Guide: Laws And How They're Made

Teaching kids about how a bill becomes a law can be challenging, but it's an important topic for them to understand. This PowerPoint presentation is designed to make the process engaging and accessible for young learners. It covers the step-by-step journey of a bill, from its proposal to becoming a law, and includes interactive elements to keep students interested. The presentation also touches on the different types of bills and resolutions, the role of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and how citizens can participate in the legislative process.

How laws are made

Where do laws come from?

Laws begin as ideas. These ideas can come from anyone, but the two most common sources are members of the U.S. House of Representatives and their constituents (citizens who elect them). For example, a member may be inspired by a campaign promise they made. Or a citizen with an idea for a new law can contact their representative to discuss it. If the representative agrees, they will research the idea and write it into a bill.

A bill is a proposed law. Before it can become a law, it must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. This is called "passing a bill".

Firstly, a member of the House of Representatives introduces the bill. They place it in the "hopper", a special wooden box on the side of the clerk's desk. The member introducing the bill is known as its primary sponsor, and other members can also cosponsor a bill. The bill is then read by a clerk to all the representatives and assigned a number. It is then sent to a committee.

The committee reviews, researches, and revises the bill. They may also send it to a subcommittee for further examination and expert opinions. If the committee approves the bill, it is sent back to the House floor to be debated. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Changes are recommended, and when all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

There are different methods for voting on a bill, including viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. If the bill passes in the House of Representatives, it is then sent to the U.S. Senate, where it goes through similar steps. If it passes in the Senate, it is sent to the President.

When a bill reaches the President, they have three choices: they can sign and pass the bill, making it a law; they can refuse to sign or veto it, sending it back to the House of Representatives with their reasons for the veto; or they can do nothing, which is called a "pocket veto". If Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after 10 days, but if Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

If the President vetoes the bill, it is sent back to the House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House may decide to hold another vote on the bill, and if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support it, the President's veto can be overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

The legislative process

Any member, delegate, or resident commissioner may introduce a bill at any time the House is in session. To officially introduce a bill, the member places it in the "hopper", a wooden box on the side of the clerk's desk. The member introducing the bill is known as its primary sponsor, and other members can cosponsor a bill.

Assigning the Bill

When a bill is introduced, the title is entered in the House Journal and printed in the Congressional Record. The clerk assigns the bill a legislative number, and the Speaker of the House assigns it to the appropriate committee.

The Bill Goes to Committee

The committee clerk places the bill on the committee's legislative calendar. The committee members will seek expert input, hold "mark-up" sessions to make changes, and, if necessary, send the bill to a subcommittee for further analysis. When the committee is satisfied, it is sent back to the House for debate. A bill can also die in committee if the legislation is deemed unnecessary.

Consideration and Debate

During the general debate on a bill, the House typically breaks into the Committee of the Whole, which speeds up the consideration of bills as only 100 members are required for debate, rather than the number required for the full House. In the Committee of the Whole, the bill is read aloud, section by section, and members may offer amendments. Both the member proposing and opposing the amendment are given five minutes to explain their opinions.

Voting on the Bill

There are three methods for voting on a bill in the House: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. If a majority of the House votes in favour of the bill, it passes and is sent to the Senate. If the bill fails, but the Speaker feels it should become law, it may be sent back to the committee for further research and updates.

The Bill Returns to the House

If the bill is passed by the Senate, both the House and Senate bills are returned to the House, with a note of any changes. If amendments have been made, the House must vote on the bill again, as both Chambers of Congress must agree to identical legislation for it to become law. If the Speaker decides the amendments require further research, the bill can be sent back to the committee before the House votes again.

The Bill Is Enrolled

When both Chambers have passed identical legislation, the enrolling clerk prepares the final document for presentation to the President. The enrolled bill is printed on parchment paper and certified by the Clerk of the House. The Clerk reviews the bill to ensure accuracy and sends it to the Speaker to be signed, who then passes it to the President of the Senate for signature. Once the leaders of both Chambers have signed off, the Clerk of the House delivers the bill to the White House.

The President's Decision

When the President receives the bill, he has three options: pass, veto, or pocket veto. If the President approves, he signs the bill, and it becomes law. If he does not approve, he must return it to its Chamber of origin with his objections within 10 days. If the President does nothing, and Congress remains in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law.

The bill is proposed

So, you want to know about how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with an idea. Anyone can have an idea for a law, but it's up to the Representatives to turn that idea into a bill. Let's take a closer look at this process.

Once a Representative has written a bill, they need to find a sponsor. This means they talk to other Representatives about the bill and try to get their support. A bill needs the support of several Representatives before it can be introduced. The Representative who comes up with the idea for the bill and talks to others about it is called the primary sponsor. There can be an unlimited number of Representatives who support the bill, and they are called cosponsors.

When a bill has enough support, it's ready to be introduced. This is done by placing the bill in the "hopper", which is a special wooden box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only Representatives are allowed to introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. Once a bill is introduced, it gets a special number that starts with H.R.

Now that we've seen how a bill is proposed and introduced, we can move on to the next steps in its journey to becoming a law.

The bill is introduced

So, you want to know about how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with an idea. Anyone can have an idea for a new law, but it's up to the Representatives to turn that idea into a bill. Let's take a look at what happens when the bill is introduced.

Once a Representative has written a bill, they need to find a sponsor. They will talk to other Representatives about the bill to get their support. When a bill has a sponsor and the support of other Representatives, it's ready for its big moment!

The bill is officially introduced when it's placed in the hopper, a special wooden box on the side of the clerk's desk. This can only be done by Representatives, and only when the House is in session. The bill clerk will then give the bill a number that starts with H.R.

Next, the bill is read out loud by a reading clerk to all the Representatives. At the same time, the Speaker of the House sends the bill to a standing committee, which is a group of Representatives who are experts on different topics. But before we find out what happens in the committee, let's take a quick break.

Are you still with me? Great! Now, let's continue with the journey of the bill...

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been debated by the U.S. House of Representatives, it is ready to be voted on. There are three methods for voting on a bill:

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 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. They can vote yes, no, or present if they don’t want to vote on the bill.

If a majority of the Representatives vote 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. If the bill fails, yet the Speaker feels it should become a law, it may be sent back to the committee for further research and updates. Otherwise, the bill dies.

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