The Journey Of A Bill To Law Explained

The process of turning a bill into a law is a complex one, but it can be simplified into a few key steps. First, a bill is proposed, usually by a member of Congress, but sometimes by a citizen or advocacy group. This bill is then introduced to either the House of Representatives or the Senate, where it is assigned a number and sent to a committee. The committee researches and discusses the bill, and may make changes to it before voting on whether to pass it. If the bill passes, it is sent to the other body to go through the same process. If it passes again, it is sent to the President, who can choose to approve it, veto it, or do nothing. If the President approves, the bill becomes a law. If not, Congress can attempt to override the veto, and if two-thirds of Congress agrees, the bill becomes a law.

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, or it can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress.

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.

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. A bill can be introduced in the Senate when a member gains recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour.

Once a bill is introduced, it is typically given a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather expert opinions.

A bill is introduced

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 be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once an idea for a new law has been agreed on, it must be drafted as a bill. This requires specialised legal training and is usually carried out by the staff of New York State's Legislative Bill Drafting Commission. Sometimes, an interest group may have its own attorneys draft a bill.

Once the bill is drafted, it must be introduced. If a Representative is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the House. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. 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 then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

In the Senate, things are done a little differently. 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 of the bill is postponed until the next day. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) to be copied.

A bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members with specific interests and expertise in different topics such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs and relations.

Committees are an important part of the legislative process as they carefully examine the bill, holding hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and its chances of passage by the entire Congress. The committee system acts as a funnel through which a large number of bills must pass before they can be considered further. The system also acts as a sieve to filter out undesirable or unworkable ideas.

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". Committees can also choose to hold hearings to gather the widest possible range of opinions. Citizens can share their opinions on a proposed bill with their Senate representative for relay to the committee members.

After hearings, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee. Once 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 against reporting 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 bill is reported

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

During a debate, 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. 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, 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 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 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 and is then delivered to the U.S. Senate.

A bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, 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, for example, H.R. 1 or S. 1, signifying whether it is a House or Senate bill. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives and it is sent to one of the House standing committees.

The committee members—groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations—review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before making their decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee to be closely examined and for expert opinions to be gathered. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee.

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 against reporting legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of the Senate determine if and when a bill comes before the full body for debate and amendment and then final passage. There are very different rules of procedure governing debate in the House and Senate. In the House, a representative may offer an amendment to a bill only if he or she has obtained permission from the Rules Committee. In the Senate, a senator may offer an amendment without warning, as long as it is relevant to the bill. In both chambers, a majority vote is required for an amendment to be accepted and for the final bill to be passed, although sometimes amendments are accepted by a voice vote.

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).

Frequently asked questions