The Legislative Process: How Bills Become Laws

In the United States, the process of turning a bill into law involves several steps and the participation of Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as the President. The journey of a bill to becoming a law begins with an idea, which can come from a member of Congress or a citizen. This idea is then drafted into a bill, introduced, and assigned to a committee for review, discussion, and potential changes. The bill then goes through a series of steps, including subcommittee review, committee markup, voting by the full chamber, and referral to the other chamber, where it undergoes a similar process. If both chambers approve the bill, they work to reconcile any differences, and the bill is presented to the President for approval. The President can approve, veto, or take no action on the bill, leading to different outcomes. Understanding this process is crucial for citizens to effectively advocate for issues that impact them and their communities.

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 the House of Representatives has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill 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. A bill clerk then 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.

The bill is then referred to a committee with jurisdiction over the primary issue of the legislation. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested in different topics such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs. Sometimes a bill will be referred to multiple committees or a subcommittee first.

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 who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

Once a bill is drafted, it must be introduced. If a Representative is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the House. If a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. 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. A bill clerk then 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.

The bill is given a number: H.R. signifies a House bill and S. a Senate bill. The bill is then referred to a committee with jurisdiction over the primary issue of the legislation. Sometimes a bill will be referred to multiple committees. And sometimes the bill is referred to a subcommittee first. 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).

The bill is returned to the full House or Senate for further debate and approval. At this point, members may propose amendments to the bill, add additional text, or otherwise alter the bill. House and Senate members then vote on their respective versions of the proposed bill.

A bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members with a particular interest in different topics, such as health or international affairs. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. In most cases, the referral decision is made by the House or Senate parliamentarian.

Bills may be referred to more than one committee, and parts of the bill may be sent to different committees. One of those committees will be designated the primary committee of jurisdiction and will likely take the lead on any action that may occur. Committees may also refer bills to a subcommittee for study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

When a bill is in the hands of the committee, it is carefully examined, and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. 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 record. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

After the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They 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 favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

A bill is reported

Once the bill has been through the committee stage, 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 the debate, 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 the 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. In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no". In a division vote, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. In a recorded vote, 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 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 many of the same steps in the U.S. Senate. It 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 Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

A bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and debated, it is ready to be voted on. In the US House of Representatives, there are three methods of voting: viva voce, division, and recorded. In viva voce, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives to say "aye" if they support the bill and "no" if they oppose it. In division, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. In recorded, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, and can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote. A majority vote is required for a bill to pass in the House.

After the vote, if the bill passes, it is certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the US 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 oppose it. Again, a majority vote is required for the bill to pass. If the bill passes in the Senate, it is then ready to be sent to the President.

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