Understanding Lawmaking: A Guide For Young Students

The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complex one. In the United States, laws are created by the U.S. House of Representatives and they all start as bills. The journey of a bill to becoming a law involves several stages, including proposal, introduction, committee review, reporting, debate, voting, referral to the Senate, and finally, approval by the President. This process ensures that laws are well-debated and thoroughly considered before being enforced. Worksheets and lesson plans on this topic are designed to help students understand the intricate process of law-making, the roles of different officials, and the political jargon associated with it.

The bill is proposed

The first step in turning a bill into a law is for someone to come up with an idea. Anyone can have an idea that could become a law. Once they have that idea, they need to share it with the right people. Usually, this means telling a congressperson about it. If the congressperson likes the idea, they might decide to sponsor it. This means they will talk to other congress people and lawmakers about it, to try and get their support. A bill needs a sponsor and the support of some other Representatives before it can be introduced.

Representatives can also come up with ideas for bills themselves. They might do this if one of their citizens contacts them with a problem or suggestion. If the Representative agrees that it's a good idea, they will do some research and then write it up as a bill.

Once a bill has a sponsor, the sponsor will introduce it to either the Senate or the House of Representatives. This is known as the legislature. The person who submits the bill is called the sponsor. When a bill is introduced, it is placed in a special box called the hopper, which is on the side of the clerk's desk. It is then given a number and read out to all the Representatives. After this, it is sent to one of the House standing committees, where it will be reviewed and researched.

The bill is introduced

Before a bill is introduced, it needs a sponsor. The Representative talks to other Representatives to get their support for the bill. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

When a bill is introduced, it is read aloud to all Representatives, and the Speaker of the House decides which House standing committee it will go to. The committee members are groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations.

The bill is then reviewed, researched, and revised by the committee members. They may also gather expert opinions and make changes to the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee is unsure about the bill, it may be sent to a subcommittee for further examination before returning to the committee for approval.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent or reported to the House floor for debate. Representatives discuss the bill, explaining their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with it. A reading clerk reads the bill section by section, and Representatives can recommend changes. Once all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

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 specific topics, such as agriculture, education, or international relations.

The committee members review, research, and revise the bill. They may send the bill to a subcommittee if more information is needed before making a decision. In a subcommittee, the bill is closely examined, and expert opinions are gathered.

The committee members then vote on whether to send the bill back to the House floor. If the committee approves the bill, it is sent or reported to the House floor, where it can be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Representatives discuss the bill, explaining their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with it. A reading clerk reads the bill section by section, and Representatives can recommend changes. Once all the recommended changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

The bill is reported

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent to the House floor. This is also known as the bill being reported or sent to the House of Representatives for consideration. The bill is now ready to be debated. Representatives will discuss the bill, explaining why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk will then read the bill section by section, and the Representatives will recommend any changes they believe are necessary. Once all the changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

The House of Representatives will vote on the bill using one of three methods: viva voce, division, or 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, supporters of the bill are asked to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose it are asked to do the same. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote—yes, no, or present—using an electronic voting system. If a majority of Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the House of Representatives and is then certified by the Clerk of the House before being delivered to the Senate.

If the bill does not receive a majority of yes votes, it will not become a law. This is known as a bill "dying in committee" if the committee takes no action on it or decides to stop working on it.

The bill is voted on

Now the bill is ready to be voted on! There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. The first is viva voce, where the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it say "no." The second is division, where the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to do the same. The third is recorded, where Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system. They 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 sent to the U.S. Senate.

The bill then goes through many of the same steps in the Senate as it did in the House of Representatives. 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 oppose it. If a majority of the Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

The President has three choices when a bill reaches them. They can sign and pass the bill, which means it becomes a law. They can also refuse to sign or veto the bill, in which case the bill is sent back to the U.S. House of Representatives along with the President's reasons for the veto. If the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on the bill, and if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support it, the President's veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law. The President can also choose to do nothing, which is called a pocket veto. If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days of a pocket veto. However, if Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

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