The Legislative Journey: Proposal To Law

The process of how a proposed legislation becomes a law is a lengthy one. It begins with the introduction of a bill, which 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 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 and can either approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve a bill, which 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. However, 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, which is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.

A bill is proposed by a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with the proposal of a bill. Any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can propose a bill. The idea for a bill 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 proposed, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may even choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

If the committee approves the bill, it is then put on a calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended. If the bill passes by a simple majority, it moves to the other chamber 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 bill is assigned to a committee

The committee may choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

Subcommittees are organised under committees and have further specialisation on a certain topic. Committees often refer bills to a subcommittee for study and their own hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

Once hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They will make changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the "floor". If a committee votes not to report legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

The bill is voted on by the chamber

Once a bill has been assigned to a committee, studied, and released, it is put on a calendar to be voted on by the chamber. In the House of Representatives, a simple majority (218 of 435) is required for a bill to pass. In the Senate, a simple majority is 51 of 100.

The bill is then debated and members of the chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members' votes. 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 bill is sent to the other chamber to go through the same process

Once a bill has been passed by one chamber of Congress, it is sent to the other chamber to go through a similar process. The bill is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may also hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on the record. Hearings are not always necessary, but if the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

If the committee approves the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported". Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate, and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members' votes.

The bill is then sent to the other chamber, where it usually follows the same route through committees and finally to the floor. This chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it, or change it. If the bill is changed, Congress may form a conference committee to resolve or reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. If the conference committee is unable to reach an agreement, the bill dies. If an agreement is reached, the committee members prepare a conference report with recommendations for the final bill. Both the House and Senate must vote to approve the conference report.

The bill is presented to the president

Once a bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate, it is presented to the President. The President has the power to approve or veto the bill. If the President approves, they will sign it into law. If the President takes no action for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law.

However, if the President opposes the bill, they may veto it. If this happens, Congress may attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. If this occurs, the bill will become law.

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 is known as a pocket veto and cannot be overridden by Congress.

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