The Making Of A Law: Steps Decoded

The process by which a bill becomes a law is known as the legislative process. This process can be different depending on the country and the type of bill. In the US, for example, a bill typically goes through eight steps before becoming a law, starting with the drafting of the bill by a member of Congress and ending with approval by the President. In Canada, a bill must be approved in identical form by both houses of Parliament – the Senate and the House of Commons – before receiving Royal Assent and becoming a law.

Drafting, sponsoring and introducing a bill

The legislative process begins with the drafting of a bill. Any member of Congress, including members of the House of Representatives or the Senate, can draft a bill based on their own ideas or the ideas of everyday citizens and advocacy groups. Citizens with ideas for new laws can contact their representatives to discuss their proposals. If representatives agree with the idea, they will research it and write it into a bill. This bill must then be introduced to Congress.

Once a bill has been drafted, it needs a sponsor. The representative will discuss the bill with other representatives to gain their support. The primary sponsoring representative is called the "sponsor", while other supporting representatives are called "co-sponsors". Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of other representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

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 House of Representatives. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives is assigned a number beginning with H.R. by the House clerk, while a bill introduced in the Senate is assigned a number beginning with S. by the Senate clerk. Once introduced, a bill can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

Committee and subcommittee review

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee for review. Committees are groups of members of Congress who have a particular interest in the topic of the bill, such as health or international affairs. The committee will carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by Congress. They may also hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications, allowing for input from the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill. If the committee does not act on the bill, it is considered "dead".

Committees often refer bills to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. Subcommittees are specialised groups organised under committees. The subcommittee will closely examine the bill and may make changes to it. They will then vote to refer the bill back to the full committee. The subcommittee may request reports from government agencies and gather expert opinions to inform their review of the bill. If the committee approves the bill, it is sent back to the House floor for further debate and voting.

Amendments and voting in the House or Senate

Once a bill has been introduced in the House or Senate, it is sent to a committee. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House or Senate floor. If the committee members require more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for further examination and to gather expert opinions. Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent back to the House or Senate floor for further debate and voting. At this stage, members of the House or Senate can propose amendments to the bill, add additional text, or make other alterations.

There are several methods of voting on a bill in the House or Senate. In the House, these include viva voce, where the Speaker of the House asks supporters of the bill to say "aye" and opponents to say "no"; division, where supporters and opponents are asked to stand up and be counted; and recorded, where representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system. Senators, on the other hand, vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of members of the House or Senate vote in favour of the bill, it is passed to the next stage. If not, the bill is defeated.

Approval by both Chambers of Congress

For a bill to become a law in the United States, it must be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together make up the two Chambers of Congress. This is a multi-step process.

First, a bill is introduced in either the House or the Senate, depending on whether its sponsor is a Representative or a Senator. The bill is then sent to a committee, which studies it in depth and may suggest changes. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing for input from experts, public officials, and supporters and opponents of the bill. The bill is then sent to a subcommittee for further review and potential changes. Once the committee and subcommittee process is complete, the bill is marked up and any amendments are approved by the full committee.

The bill is then sent back to the full House or Senate for further debate and approval, in what is known as the "floor" stage. At this point, members may propose further amendments, add additional text, or otherwise alter the bill. The bill is then voted on by the full chamber. If it passes, it is referred to the other chamber, where it goes through the same process.

If the second chamber approves the bill as received, it is then sent to the President for approval. However, if the chamber rejects, ignores, or changes the bill, the two chambers must form a conference committee to resolve or reconcile their differences. If the conference committee is unable to reach an agreement, the bill dies. If an agreement is reached, the committee prepares a report with recommendations for the final bill, which must be approved by both chambers.

This process ensures that any bill that becomes a law has been carefully considered and approved by both chambers of Congress, allowing for a robust debate and input from a diverse range of perspectives.

Presidential approval or veto

Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President for their approval or signature, which if granted, creates a Public Law. This is the sixth step in the process of a bill becoming a law.

The President has three choices: they can sign and pass the bill, in which case it becomes a law; they can veto the bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives with their reasons for doing so; or they can do nothing, in which case, if Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after 10 days. However, if Congress has adjourned during those 10 days, the bill is automatically vetoed. This is known as a 'pocket veto'.

If the President vetoes a bill, Congress may 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. This is the final step in the process of a bill becoming a law.

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