The Law-Making Process: A Guide For Kids

how a bill becomes a law template for kids

Did you know that every law in the United States starts as an idea? These ideas can come from anyone, from the President to members of Congress, special interest groups, or even regular citizens like you! But how does an idea become a law? Well, it's not so easy. First, the idea must be written down and explained, and this is called a bill. Then, the bill needs to be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, where it will be discussed and debated before being voted on. If the bill passes in the House, it will then go to the Senate, where it will go through a similar process. If the bill passes in the Senate, it will be sent to the President, who can choose to sign and pass the bill, refuse to sign it, or do nothing. If the President signs the bill, it becomes a law!

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Where do ideas for laws come from? Ideas for laws 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.
Who can introduce a bill? Any Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may introduce a bill at any time the House is in session.
How is a bill introduced? To officially introduce a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, a Member places it in the "hopper", a wooden box on the side of the Clerk's desk.
What happens when a bill is introduced? When a bill is introduced, the title of the bill is entered in the House Journal and printed in the Congressional Record. The Clerk assigns the bill a legislative number and the Speaker of the House assigns the bill to the appropriate committee.
What happens when a bill goes to committee? When the Chairman of the committee receives a copy of a bill, the clerk of the committee places the bill on the committee’s legislative calendar. While the bill is in committee, the committee members will seek expert input, hold discussions, and make changes to the bill and, if necessary, send the bill to a subcommittee.
What happens when a bill is reported? When the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives.
How is a bill 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.
How is a bill voted on? There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives: Viva Voce (voice vote), Division, and Recorded.
What happens if a bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives? 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.
What happens when a bill is referred to the Senate? When a bill reaches the U.S. Senate, it goes through many of the same steps it went through in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on.
What happens if a bill passes in the Senate? If a majority of the Senators agree, the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.
What happens when a bill is sent to the President? The President can choose to sign and pass the bill, refuse to sign or veto the bill, or do nothing (pocket veto).

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How a bill is proposed and introduced

So, you want to know how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with an idea. Anyone can have an idea for a bill, even you! But ideas are just the start. Let's take a look at how a bill is proposed and introduced.

How a Bill Is Proposed

First, someone has to propose the bill. This could be a Representative, a Senator, or even a citizen like you! If a citizen has an idea for a bill, they can contact their Representative to discuss it. If the Representative agrees that it's a good idea, they'll do some research and write it up as a bill.

Now, the bill needs a sponsor. The Representative will talk to other Representatives about the bill, trying to get their support. Once the bill has a sponsor and the support of several Representatives, it's ready to be introduced.

How a Bill Is Introduced

The next step is to officially introduce the bill. This can only be done by a Representative, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, and it happens when the bill is placed in the "hopper". The hopper is a special wooden box on the side of the clerk's desk. Once the bill is in the hopper, it's officially introduced!

When a bill is introduced, it gets a number that starts with "H.R.". Then, a reading clerk reads the bill out loud to all the Representatives. After that, the Speaker of the House sends the bill to a committee.

So, there you have it! That's how a bill is proposed and introduced. But this is just the beginning of a bill's journey to becoming a law. Stay tuned to learn about the next steps, including committees, debates, and votes!

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The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. The committee is made up of groups of Representatives who are experts on the topic of the bill. For example, if the bill is about education, the committee will be made up of Representatives who know a lot about education.

The committee members will carefully read the bill and do more research on the topic. They will also talk to experts and hold meetings to discuss the bill. They can make changes to the bill if they think it is necessary. If the committee members want more information before making a decision, they can send the bill to a subcommittee. A subcommittee will look at the bill in more detail and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee.

After the committee is happy with the bill, they will vote on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee likes the bill, it will be sent back to the House for debate and a vote. However, if the committee decides that the bill is not needed, it can die in committee, which means it will not become a law.

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The bill is reported, debated, and voted on

Once a bill has been approved by the committee, it is sent back to the House floor to be debated and voted on. This is called 'reporting the bill'.

During the debate, 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 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 (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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The bill is referred to the Senate

Once a bill has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, it is then sent to the U.S. Senate. The Senate is like a club with its own set of rules and procedures for how it does things, and it has to approve the bill too.

When a bill reaches the Senate, it goes through many of the same steps as it did in the House of Representatives. First, the bill is sent to a Senate committee. This committee is a group of Senators who are experts on the topic of the bill. They will carefully review the bill, do more research, and might make some changes before they vote on whether to send it back to the Senate floor. If they want more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a smaller group called a subcommittee, which will take a very close look at the bill and gather opinions from experts before sending it back to the committee.

Once the committee is happy with the bill, it is reported to the Senate floor, which means it is ready to be debated by all the Senators. The Senators will discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Then, a reading clerk will read the bill out section by section, and the Senators will suggest any final changes. When all the changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

In the Senate, the Senators vote by saying "Yea" if they support the bill, or "Nay" if they don't. If most Senators say "Yea", the bill passes in the Senate and is sent to the President.

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The bill is sent to the President

So the bill has made it through the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, but it's not a law yet! Now, it goes to the President. The President has three choices: they can sign it and pass the bill, refuse to sign it or veto it, or do nothing (which is called a pocket veto).

If the President likes the bill and signs it, it officially becomes a law! But if the President doesn't like the bill, they can veto it. This means the bill gets sent back to the U.S. House of Representatives, along with the President's reasons for not liking it. If the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate still think the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on it. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law anyway!

The President can also choose to do a pocket veto. This is when the President doesn't sign the bill or return it to Congress with their objections within 10 days. If Congress is still in session, the bill will automatically become a law after those 10 days. But if Congress is not in session, the bill won't become a law.

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