Cameron Miranda
The process of turning a proposed law into an actual law is a complex one. In the United States, laws begin as ideas, which 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 an idea has been turned into a bill, it is introduced and assigned to a committee, whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If it 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, and then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president, who can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| 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 people or citizen groups |
| Introduction of a bill | A bill needs a sponsor and the support of other Representatives. Once it has this, it is placed in the hopper (a special box on the side of the clerk's desk) |
| Committee assignment | A bill clerk assigns the bill a number. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees |
| Committee review | Committee members research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. If the committee wants more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee |
| Committee vote | Committee members vote on whether to send the bill back to the House floor |
| House vote | The bill is put before the chamber 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 |
| Senate review | 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 |
| Senate vote | Senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say "yea," and those who oppose it say "nay." |
| Presidential review | The president considers the bill and can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it |
| Veto override | If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law |
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 bill is introduced, it needs a sponsor. The representative talks with other representatives about the bill in the hopes of getting their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the representatives, 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 representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. When a bill is introduced, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.
When the bill reaches the committee, the committee members—groups of representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations—review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send the bill back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before deciding if the bill should be sent to the House floor, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. While in subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.
Once a bill is introduced and assigned to a committee, it is then put before that chamber to be voted on. 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.
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A bill is introduced
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 the bill is written, it needs a sponsor. The representative then talks with other representatives about the bill, hoping to get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the representatives, 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 representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. When a bill is introduced, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.
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 then vote on whether to send the bill back to the House floor. If the committee approves a bill, it is sent or reported to the House floor, where it is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and representatives recommend changes. When all 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. 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.
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A bill goes to committee
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee is a group of representatives who are experts on the bill's topic, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee would like more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee, where it is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered.
The committee has the authority to 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 all members of the House. This process is crucial, as it is where the bill is intensively considered and the public is given the opportunity to be heard.
The committee's jurisdiction is defined by the subject matter under the rules of each House, and all measures are referred accordingly. For example, the Committee on the Judiciary in the House has jurisdiction over measures relating to judicial proceedings, constitutional amendments, immigration policy, bankruptcy, patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
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A bill is reported
Once a bill has been approved by a committee, it is sent or reported to the House floor. This is when the bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. During this stage, Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and the Representatives recommend changes. Once all 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: The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to 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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A bill is voted on
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before that chamber 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 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.
In the U.S. Senate, senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say “yea,” and those who oppose it say “nay.”. If a majority of the Senators say “yea,” the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.
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Frequently asked questions
A law begins as an idea, which can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.
The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. 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.
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.
The president then considers the bill. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law. Or the president can refuse to approve a bill. This is called a veto.
If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law. But if the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This action is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.
