The Legislative Process: How Bills Become Laws

Laws are created to govern the populace and are based on ideas for the betterment of the lives of residents and the productivity of businesses and organizations. In the United States, laws begin as bills, which are proposals for new laws or changes to existing ones. The process of a bill becoming a law involves multiple stages, including introduction, committee review, voting, and approval by the President. The bill is introduced by a sponsor, who can be a Representative or a Senator, and is then assigned to a committee for research, discussion, and potential changes. The bill is then voted on, and if it passes, it moves to the other chamber for a similar process. Once both chambers approve the bill, they work together to create a single version before presenting it to the President for approval. If the President approves, the bill becomes a law. However, if the President vetoes the bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers, and the bill can still become a law.

The bill is proposed

When a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in hopes of getting their support for it. 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.

Once the bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, which is the official government website that tracks federal legislation. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and labelled with the sponsor's name. It is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made. Senate bills can be jointly sponsored and members can cosponsor the piece of legislation.

The bill is introduced

The bill-making process begins with an idea, which can come from a Representative, citizen, or advocacy group. Once the idea has been written down and developed, it is ready to be introduced as a bill.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper, a box on the side of the clerk's desk. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the House. Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

When a bill is introduced in the House, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill aloud to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

In the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction is postponed until the following day. Senate bills can be jointly sponsored.

Once introduced, the bill is sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO), where copies are made. The bill is then assigned to a committee, whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, review, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are experts on different topics, such as agriculture, education, health, or international affairs or relations. When a bill reaches 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, it is considered "dead".

Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on specific topics. Committees often refer bills to a subcommittee for study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

Once 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".

A committee will hold a "mark-up" session during which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" that will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The chamber must approve, change, or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.

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 reported

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

During the debate, Representatives discuss the bill and explain their agreement or disagreement with it. Then, a reading clerk reads the bill section by section, and the Representatives recommend changes. When all the recommended 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, division, and recorded. In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no". In a division vote, 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 do the same. In a recorded vote, 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.

When a bill reaches the U.S. Senate, it goes through many of the same steps it went through in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of the Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been debated and 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.

When a bill reaches the U.S. Senate, it goes through many of the same steps it went through in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of the Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

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