Understanding The Lawmaking Process: A Student's Guide

Learning about how a bill becomes a law is an essential part of understanding civics and government. This process can be broken down into several steps, and it's important to know how it works so that you can effectively advocate for issues that are important to you. All laws in the United States begin as bills, and before a bill can become a law, it must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. This process involves many steps, including drafting, sponsorship, committee review, and voting.

A bill is proposed

The first step in the process of turning a bill into a law is for a bill to be proposed. 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 it can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to their representative. Citizens who have 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 representative talks with other representatives to get their support. The sponsor of the bill is not necessarily the author. Bills might be written by other members, staff members, interest groups, or others. Additional members may add their names to the bill to become co-sponsors. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

The bill is introduced

When a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. In the Senate, a Senator must seek recognition to introduce a new bill in the morning. In the House, additional members may add their names to the bill to become cosponsors. In the Senate, bills can be jointly sponsored by more than one member.

After the bill is introduced, the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer of the Senate will send the bill to the appropriate committee. The committee will add the bill to their calendar. If a bill is not discussed in the committee, it is effectively "killed".

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. The committee will be made up of groups of Representatives or Senators who are experts on the topic of the bill. For example, the bill might concern agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will review, research, and revise the bill.

The committee will add the bill to their calendar. If a bill is not discussed in committee, it is effectively “killed”. The committee will hold hearings on the proposed bill, or the chairperson may assign the bill to a subcommittee. A subcommittee is a group with further specialization on a certain topic. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

After the bill is discussed, the full committee will vote on it. If the vote passes, the committee will make revisions or edits to the bill. After the edits are made, the committee must vote again to accept the changes. If major edits are made, the committee may decide to create a new bill, which will start the process over from the beginning. The committee will then write reports about why they are in favor of or against the bill.

In the House, the bill will usually go to the Rules Committee for approval. The bill is then sent back to the main chamber of the House or Senate. When the bill returns to the main chamber, it is placed on the calendar for debate.

The bill is reported

When a bill is reported, it means that it has been approved by the committee and is now being sent to the House floor. This is also known as "ordering a bill reported". Once reported, the bill is 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 any changes they believe are necessary. Once all the 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 supporters of the bill to say "aye" and those against it to say "no". In a division vote, the Speaker asks supporters to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for opponents of the bill. In a recorded vote, Representatives register their vote using an electronic voting system, selecting "yes", "no", or "present" if they do not wish to vote. If a majority of Representatives vote "yes" or say "aye", the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives and is then certified by the Clerk of the House before being delivered to the U.S. Senate.

If the bill does not pass in the House, it dies. However, if it passes, it will go through many of the same steps in the U.S. Senate, including being discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor for a vote. Senators vote by voice, with supporters saying "yea" and opponents saying "nay". If a majority of Senators vote in favour, the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to be sent to the President.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been debated, it is ready to be voted on. In the U.S. House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill: viva voce, division, and recorded. In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives to say "aye" if they support the bill and "no" if they oppose it. 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 House and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

The process for voting on a bill in the Senate is similar. 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 Senate and is ready to be sent to the President. If the bill does not pass in either the House or the Senate, it dies.

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