Understanding The Legislative Process: Visual Guide To Lawmaking

Creating laws is the most important job of the U.S. House of Representatives. All laws in the United States start as bills, and there are several steps a bill must go through before it becomes a 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. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then voted on, and if it passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept the bill, they must agree on the same version, which is then presented to the President. The President can approve the bill, or veto it, in which case Congress can vote to override the veto.

Bill proposal and drafting

The journey of a bill to becoming a law begins with an idea. This idea 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 who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Citizens with ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

Once a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The sponsor is the primary Congress member supporting the bill. 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 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.

Introduction to Congress

The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government and is responsible for making laws. It is a bicameral body, consisting of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House has 435 voting members, each representing a congressional district, while the Senate has 100 members, with two senators representing each state. Additionally, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands each elect one non-voting delegate to the House.

One of the primary roles of Congress is lawmaking. The process by which a bill becomes a law is a complex and lengthy one, involving multiple steps and the collaboration of both chambers. It begins with a bill, which is a proposed law, being introduced in either the House or the Senate. Any representative or senator can author and introduce a bill, and it is then assigned a number and referred to the appropriate committee for review.

Committees play a crucial role in the legislative process. They are specialized groups of lawmakers tasked with handling specific areas of policy, such as agriculture, appropriations, or foreign relations. Each chamber has its own set of committees, and they are responsible for reviewing, amending, and approving bills before they can move forward in the legislative process. This committee process allows for detailed scrutiny and debate on the merits of each bill.

Once a bill passes through the committee stage, it is reported back to the full chamber, where it is debated and voted on. If the bill passes this stage, it then moves to the other chamber, where the process repeats. If both chambers approve an identical version of the bill, it is sent to the president for consideration. The president can choose to sign the bill into law or veto it, sending it back to Congress with suggested changes.

Committee and subcommittee review

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are groups of Congress members with a particular interest or expertise in a specific topic, such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs. The committee will carefully examine the bill, discussing and making changes to it, and determining its chances of passage by Congress. Committees may also hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications and gather input from various stakeholders, including the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation. If a committee does not take action on a bill, it is considered "dead."

The committee may refer the bill to a subcommittee for further specialised study and hearings. Subcommittees often request reports from government agencies, hold hearings to gather input from experts and interested parties, make revisions to the bill, and vote to refer the bill back to the full committee. The subcommittee provides an opportunity for more detailed analysis and consideration of the bill's potential impact.

After the hearings and subcommittee review are complete, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They will make additional changes and amendments before recommending the bill to the "floor." If the committee votes against reporting the legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill is rejected. However, if the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor, which is known as "ordering a bill reported."

At this stage, the bill is returned to the full House or Senate for further debate and approval. Members of Congress can propose amendments, add text, or make other alterations to the bill. This is followed by voting by the full chamber on the bill, where it is either passed or defeated.

Voting by the full chamber

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reviewed by a subcommittee, it is ready for voting by the full chamber. This is the stage at which members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments to the bill. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members voting.

There are several methods for voting on a bill. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the three methods 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 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).

In the U.S. Senate, senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say “yea,” and those who oppose it say “nay.”

If a majority of the members of the chamber say or select yes, the bill passes and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the other chamber.

Presidential approval

Once a bill has been approved by both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President has three options: they can sign the bill into law, veto the bill, or take no action.

If the President approves of the bill, they will sign it, and it will become a law. This is known as "Presidential Action" or "Signature."

If the President does not approve of the bill, they can veto it. A veto means that the President refuses to sign the bill, and it is sent back to Congress, along with the President's reasons for the veto. Congress can then attempt to override the veto by holding another vote on the bill. If two-thirds of the members of both the House and the Senate support the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

If the President takes no action on the bill for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law. This is known as a "pocket veto." However, if Congress adjourns during those ten days and the President does not sign the bill, the bill will be automatically vetoed and will not become law.

Frequently asked questions