The Journey Of A Bill To Law

In the United States, the process of how a bill becomes a law is a complex and lengthy procedure. Beginning with an idea, which can come from a Representative or citizen, a bill must go through many stages of discussion, revision, and voting before it can be passed into law. This scholastic topic is an important one to understand, as it is the most crucial function of the U.S. House of Representatives and impacts the lives of all Americans.

A bill is proposed

A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or come from citizens who contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If Representatives agree with a citizen's proposal, they research the idea and write it into a bill. When a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill, hoping to get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

Only Representatives can introduce bills 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. A bill clerk then assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The committee members—groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics—review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members require more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee to be closely examined and expert opinions gathered before returning to the committee for approval.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent or reported to the House floor, where it is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives discuss the bill, explaining their agreement or disagreement. A reading clerk then 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.

The bill is introduced

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with its introduction. This is a formal process, with a bill being introduced when it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk in the U.S. House of Representatives. Only Representatives can introduce bills at this stage. Once a bill is introduced, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R.

The next step is for a reading clerk to read the bill to all the Representatives. At this stage, the bill's sponsor will have already discussed it with other Representatives to get their support. After the bill is read out, the Speaker of the House sends it to one of the House standing committees.

The committee stage is where most bills die. The committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee wants more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee to be closely examined and for expert opinions to be gathered.

If a bill makes it through the committee stage, it is then reported to the House floor and is ready to be debated. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and the Representatives recommend changes. Once 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 (voice vote), division, and recorded. In a voice vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no". In a division, supporters are asked to stand up and be counted, and then the same is done for opponents of the bill. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system, and 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 and is then delivered to the U.S. Senate.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is sent to a committee. The Speaker of the House decides which committee will receive the bill. Committee members are groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics, such as agriculture, education, or international relations.

The committee members review, research, and revise the bill. They may also choose to send the bill to a subcommittee for further examination and to gather expert opinions. After the committee has finished its review, it votes on whether to send the bill back to the House floor.

If the committee approves a bill, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor for debate. Representatives discuss the bill, explaining their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and Representatives recommend changes. Once all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on by the full House.

If the committee does not approve the bill, it may be pigeonholed, tabled, or amended. The committee may also choose to take no action on the bill, effectively killing it. Only a small percentage of bills make it out of the committee stage.

The bill is reported

Once a bill has been approved by the committee, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. This is when the bill is truly ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. During the debate, Representatives discuss the bill, explaining their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and the Representatives recommend changes. Once 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. The first is viva voce, where the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no". The second is division, where the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then the same for those who oppose it. The third is recorded, where Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system, and 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 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 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 several methods of voting that can be used. In the U.S. House of Representatives, these are:

• 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 and is then delivered to the U.S. Senate. 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 vote in favour, the bill passes in the Senate and is ready to go to the President.

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