The process of how a bill becomes a law in the US Congress is a lengthy one. It begins with an idea, which can come from a sitting member of the US Senate or House of Representatives, or be proposed by citizens or citizen groups. Once an idea has been established, a bill is drafted and introduced by a sponsor. The bill is then assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies have voted to accept the bill, they must agree on a single version before presenting it to the president. The president can then approve the bill, refuse to sign it, or do nothing. If the bill is vetoed by the president, Congress can vote to override the veto. If the veto is overridden, or the president does nothing and Congress remains in session, the bill becomes a law.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Where a bill starts | A bill can start in the House of Representatives or the Senate |
Who can introduce a bill | Any member of the House or Senate can introduce a bill |
How a bill is introduced | In the House, legislation is handed to the clerk of the House or placed in the hopper; in the Senate, members must gain recognition of the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour |
What happens after introduction | The bill is assigned to a committee that will research, discuss, and make changes to it |
What happens after committee | The bill is put before the chamber to be voted on |
What happens if the bill passes one body of Congress | It goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting |
What happens if the bill passes both bodies of Congress | Both bodies must work out any differences between the two versions, then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill |
What happens if the bill passes both chambers of Congress | It is presented to the president |
What happens if the president approves of the bill | The president signs it into law |
What happens if the president does not approve of the bill | The president can veto the bill |
What happens if the president vetoes the bill | In most cases, Congress can vote to override the veto and the bill becomes a law |
What happens if Congress is no longer in session | If the president does not sign off on a bill, it will be vetoed by default (a "pocket veto") and cannot be overridden by Congress |
What You'll Learn
A bill is proposed
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill 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. Once a member of Congress has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The member of Congress will talk with their peers about the bill in the hope of getting their support for it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some other members of Congress, 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 members of the House of Representatives can introduce bills in the House. In the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day. Once introduced, a bill is assigned a legislative number by the House or Senate clerk. In the House, this number begins with "H.R.", and in the Senate, it begins with "S.".
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee will usually refer the bill to one of its subcommittees. The subcommittee may request reports from government agencies and hold hearings so that experts and interested parties have an opportunity to offer testimony regarding the issue. The subcommittee may then "mark up" or revise the bill and report the legislation to the full committee for its consideration.
The full committee may make a recommendation to pass the bill, to revise and release the bill (also known as reporting the bill out of the committee), or to lay the bill aside (also known as tabling the bill). If the committee chooses to review the bill, it will normally conduct a hearing concerning the subject matter of the bill, where the committee will receive testimony from residents and government officials in support of and against the bill. The committee may make whatever changes it chooses to the bill. If the committee decides that it wants the bill to become law, it will vote the bill out of the committee and prepare it for consideration by the full chamber.
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A sponsor is found
Once a bill has been drafted, it needs a sponsor. The representative who wrote the bill talks to other representatives about it, hoping to get their support. This is an important step, as a bill cannot be introduced without a sponsor. The sponsor is the original member who introduces the bill.
Representatives can become co-sponsors of a bill at any point up to the time the last authorised committee considers it. In the Senate, a member can become a co-sponsor anytime before the vote takes place on the bill. However, a co-sponsor is not required, and therefore not every bill has a co-sponsor or co-sponsors.
When a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the other representatives, it is ready to be introduced. In the 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 House of Representatives.
In the Senate, the process is slightly different. Members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day.
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned a legislative number. In the House of Representatives, this number begins with H.R. In the Senate, the number begins with S.
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The bill is introduced
In the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee is chosen based on its subject-matter expertise. The committee is not obligated to review or consider the bill. If the committee chooses not to review the bill, it will die and must be introduced again when a new council is convened. If the committee chooses to review the bill, it will normally conduct a hearing concerning the subject matter of the bill, where the committee will receive testimony from residents and government officials in support of and against the bill. The committee may make whatever changes it chooses to the bill.
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The bill is assigned to a committee
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee is chosen based on its expertise over the subject matter that the bill addresses. The committee is not obligated to review or consider the bill. If the committee chooses not to review the bill, it will die and must be introduced again when a new council is convened.
If the committee chooses to review the bill, it will conduct a hearing concerning the subject matter of the bill. Here, the committee will receive testimony from residents and government officials in support of and against the bill. The committee may make whatever changes it chooses to the bill. If the committee decides that it wants the bill to become law, it will vote the bill out of the committee and prepare it for consideration by the full council.
The committee may refer the bill to one of its subcommittees. The subcommittee may request reports from government agencies, hold hearings so experts and interested parties have an opportunity to offer testimony regarding the issue, "mark up" or revise the bill, or report the legislation to the full committee for its consideration. The full committee may make a recommendation to pass the bill, to revise (i.e., mark up) and release the bill (also known as reporting the bill out of the committee), or to lay the bill aside (also known as tabling the bill).
In the case of the US Congress, the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate will refer the bill to the appropriate committee. Most often, the actual referral decision is made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. Bills may be referred to more than one committee and it may be split so that parts are sent to different committees. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it. Bills in the House can only be released from the committee without a proper committee vote by a discharge petition signed by a majority of the House membership.
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The bill is voted on
Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reported back to the House floor, it 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 Representatives to say "aye" if they support the bill and "no" if they do not. In a division vote, the Speaker of the House asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose the bill. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, selecting "yes," "no," or "present" if they do not want to vote on the bill.
If a majority of Representatives vote "yes," the bill passes in the House and is then sent to the U.S. Senate. In the Senate, the bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they do not. If a majority of Senators vote "yea," the bill passes in the Senate and is ready to be sent to the President.
If the House and Senate pass different versions of the bill, it is sent to a Conference Committee, which works to negotiate and compromise on the differences between the two versions. The Conference Committee includes senior members from each house. If a compromise is reached, a written report is submitted to each chamber. If both chambers approve the compromise, the bill is sent to the President.
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Frequently asked questions
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president for approval.
The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or they can refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.
The idea for a bill 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.