The Journey Of A Bill To Become A Law

Laws are created to govern the behaviour of a society. In the United States, laws are made by the U.S. House of Representatives, which is the lawmaking branch of the federal government. All laws in the United States start as bills, which are proposals for a new law or a change to an existing law. The process of a bill becoming a law is lengthy and requires approval from the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President.

Bills are proposed by Representatives or citizens

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 new law, whether it's a Representative or a citizen like you! That's right, if you have an idea for a new law, you can contact your Representatives and discuss it with them. If they agree with your idea, they'll do some research and then write it up as a bill.

Now, this is where it gets a little tricky. Once a Representative has written the bill, they need to find a sponsor. This means they'll talk to other Representatives and try to get their support for the bill. It's important to get enough support because once a bill has a sponsor and the backing of several Representatives, it's ready to be introduced.

Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is done by placing the bill in the hopper, which is a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. After that, a bill clerk gives the bill a number that starts with H.R., and then a reading clerk reads the bill out loud to all the Representatives.

From here, the bill starts its journey through the legislative process, which we can discuss another time. But remember, it all starts with an idea, and anyone can propose a bill!

Bills are introduced to the House of Representatives

So, you want to know about how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with the House of Representatives.

Any member of the House of Representatives can introduce a bill. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the House, or it can be proposed by citizens or advocacy groups who contact their Representative. Once a Representative has written a bill, they need to find a sponsor. They will talk to other Representatives to get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and some supporters, 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. 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.

Bills are sent to committee

So, a bill has been introduced and given a number. Now what?

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of Representatives or Senators who are experts on a particular topic, like agriculture, health, or international affairs. The committee carefully examines the bill. They might hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather the views of experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents. If the committee decides it needs more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. A subcommittee has a narrower focus than a committee and will study the bill in detail, making changes before sending it back to the committee.

The committee will then meet to make changes and amendments to the bill. This is called a "markup". If the committee votes against the bill, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is sent back to the House or Senate floor. This is called "ordering a bill reported".

Bills are voted on

So, the bill has been proposed, introduced, gone to committee, been reported, and now it's time for the vote! There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives: viva voce, division, and recorded.

For viva voce, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no". For 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 do the same. For recorded votes, 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 the Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

The bill then goes through a similar process in the Senate, where it is discussed and voted on. 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 U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

Bills are sent to the President

So, a bill has been through the House of Representatives and the Senate and now it's time to send it to the President. This is the eighth step in the process of a bill becoming a law. The President has three choices when it comes to a bill: they can sign it and pass it, they can refuse to sign it (veto it), or they can do nothing (pocket veto).

If the President approves of the bill, they will sign it and it will become a law. If the President does not agree with the bill, they can veto it. This means the bill will be sent back to the House of Representatives, along with the President's reasons for the veto. If the House of Representatives and the Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto can be overridden and the bill becomes a law anyway.

If the President does nothing, this is called a pocket veto. If Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become a law after 10 days. However, if Congress is not in session, the bill will not become a law.

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