Gavin Howe
The process of how a bill becomes a law has been immortalised in the 1976 Schoolhouse Rock! segment I'm Just a Bill, featuring a song of the same title written by Dave Frishberg. The song follows a bill for a law that school buses must stop at railroad crossings, and its journey from proposal to enactment.
In reality, the process of how a bill becomes a law begins with the introduction of a bill. This can be done by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress. Once introduced, a bill is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then, both chambers vote on the same version of the bill, and if it passes, they present it to the president. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the president does not sign off on a bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, in what is known as a pocket veto.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| 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 people or citizen groups |
| Introduction of a bill | A bill is introduced by being assigned to a committee, given a number (e.g. H.R. 1 or S. 1), and sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) for printing |
| Committee action | The committee researches, discusses, and makes changes to the bill. The bill may be referred to a subcommittee, which will gather expert opinions before reporting back to the full committee. |
| Floor action | The bill is put before the chamber to be voted on. Amendments may be proposed. |
| Conference committees | If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. |
| Presidential action | The president considers the bill. They can approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. |
| Creation of a law | If the bill passes both chambers of Congress, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Both chambers then vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president. |
What You'll Learn
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 be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may refer the bill to a subcommittee for further examination and to gather expert opinions. The subcommittee will then report its findings to the full committee. The full committee will then vote on the bill, and if it passes, the bill is sent back to the House floor.
The process of proposing a bill begins when a Representative has written a bill and found a sponsor for it. The Representative will then discuss the bill with other Representatives to gain their support. Once the 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. A bill clerk will then assign it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk will read the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House will send the bill to one of the House standing committees.
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A bill is introduced
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and a sponsor. In the House, the bill is handed to the clerk or placed in the hopper, while 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 next day. The bill is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made.
In the House, the bill is assigned a legislative number by the House clerk, while in the Senate, the Senate clerk assigns a legislative number for bills introduced in that chamber. The bill is then referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. The referral decision is usually made by the House or Senate parliamentarian, and the bill is placed on the calendar of the committee to which it has been assigned.
The committee members review, research, and revise the bill. They may request reports from government agencies, hold hearings, and gather expert opinions before voting on whether to send the bill back to the House or Senate floor. If the committee wishes to make substantial amendments, they can order the introduction of a "clean bill" with the proposed amendments, which will have a new number and be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded.
After the committee has approved a bill, it is sent back to the House or Senate floor for further debate and approval. At this point, members of the House or Senate may propose amendments to the bill, add additional text, or otherwise alter it.
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A bill goes to committee
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee members are groups of representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor.
The committee may request reports from government agencies, hold hearings so that experts and interested parties have an opportunity to offer testimony, and make changes to the bill. The committee may also refer the bill to a subcommittee, which will closely examine the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval.
The committee will then hold a "mark-up" session, during which it will make further revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a clean bill which 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.
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.
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A bill is reported
Once a bill has been approved by a committee, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. This is when 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. 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 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.
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A bill is voted on
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee will then vote on the bill. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.
The bill is then put before the chamber 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.
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Frequently asked questions
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 be proposed by citizens and citizen groups. Once introduced, a bill is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then, both chambers vote on the same version of the bill, and if it passes, they present it to the president. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law anyway.
Congress is the lawmaking branch of the federal government. It is responsible for creating and modifying laws.
The President can choose to approve a bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the President chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law anyway. However, if the President does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, which is called a "pocket veto".
A pocket veto occurs when the President does not sign a bill and Congress adjourns before the 10-day period for review is up. In this case, the bill is vetoed by default and cannot be overridden by Congress.
