The Journey Of A Bill To Law: 8 Steps

In the United States, a bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. The process of turning a bill into a law involves several steps, including drafting, introduction, committee review, voting, referral to the other chamber, and, ultimately, approval by the President. This complex journey ensures that the bill is carefully considered, amended as needed, and subjected to rigorous debate before becoming a law. The legislative process is designed to be thorough and deliberative, allowing for input from various stakeholders and experts, and providing opportunities for the public to voice their opinions.

The bill is drafted

Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced. In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. When a bill is introduced, it is assigned a number that begins with H.R. It is then read to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The bill is introduced

In Canada, a bill is introduced in either the Senate or the House of Commons by a parliamentarian (a senator or a member of Parliament). Bills can come from the government or from parliamentarians not part of the government. The first reading is the initial step in a bill's progress through Parliament. The parliamentarian proposing the bill will introduce it in the parliamentarian's chamber. Although this step is called the first reading, the bill is not actually read aloud in the chamber; instead, it is made available for parliamentarians and Canadians to read and examine.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are composed of groups of members of Congress who are particularly interested in different topics such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. They carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by the entire Congress.

If the committee members would like more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. A subcommittee is a group with further specialization on a certain topic. The subcommittee closely examines the bill and gathers expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on record.

If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered to be "dead". However, if the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported". Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent back to the House floor, where it is ready to be debated.

The bill is reported

When a bill has been approved by the committee, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported". Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives.

When a bill is debated, Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Representatives can voice their support or opposition to the bill. Then, a reading clerk reads the bill section by section, and the Representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill 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 voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reviewed by a subcommittee, it is ready to be voted on.

In the US House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill: viva voce, division, and recorded. In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives to say "aye" if they support the bill, and "no" if they oppose it. In a division vote, the Speaker of the House asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. In a recorded vote, Representatives use an electronic voting system to record their vote. They can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote on the bill. If a majority of Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the House of Representatives.

The bill then goes through a similar process in the Senate. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the Senate.

If the bill passes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is then presented to the President. The President can approve the bill and sign it into law, or they can refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the President chooses to veto the bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

In Canada, the process is similar. After a bill is introduced in the Senate or the House of Commons, it is debated and voted on by parliamentarians. If the bill passes, it is sent to a committee for further study and potential changes. It then goes back for a final debate and vote, based on the committee's report. If the bill passes this final vote, it is sent to the other chamber, where it goes through the same process. Once the bill has been passed by both chambers in identical form, it goes to the Governor General for Royal Assent and becomes Canadian law.

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