Understanding County-Level Lawmaking: Bills To Laws

The process of turning a bill into a law is a complex one, and differs at every level of government. At a county level, the process will vary depending on the country and county in question. However, there are some general steps that a bill must go through to become a law. Firstly, a bill is proposed, usually by a member of the House of Representatives or Senate, or by a citizen or advocacy group. The bill is then introduced and assigned a number, before being sent to a committee for research and revision. Once the committee has approved the bill, it is reported to the House floor, where it is debated and voted on. If the bill passes, it is sent to the other chamber to go through the same process. Once both chambers have voted to accept the bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions, before both chambers vote on the same version. If the bill passes, it is sent to the president, who can choose to approve and sign the bill into law, or veto it. If the president chooses to veto, Congress can vote to override this and the bill will become a law.

Characteristics	Values
Idea	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
Bill	A proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law
Assignment	Assigned to a committee
Committee	Members research, discuss, and make changes to the bill
Vote	Put before the chamber to be voted on
Second Vote	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
Differences	Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions
Final Vote	Both chambers vote on the same version of the bill
President	The president then considers the bill
President's Options	The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or refuse to approve a bill (veto)
Congress Veto Override	If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law
Pocket Veto	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 and this cannot be overridden by Congress

How a bill is proposed

The process of a bill becoming a law begins with a proposal. 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 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 member of the House of Representatives has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The member of the House of Representatives talks with other members to garner support for the bill. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some members of the House of 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 members of the House of Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. When a bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the members of the House of Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

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The bill is introduced

The process of introducing a bill is the first step in the legislative process. It is the formal presentation of 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 has been written, it needs a sponsor. The representative talks with other representatives about the bill to gain 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.

The process of introducing a bill is the same in the U.S. Senate. If a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate. Once introduced, the bill is given a number and read to all Senators before being sent to a Senate committee.

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The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee is made up of groups of representatives who are experts on the bill's topic. They will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor.

If the committee members would like more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. Here, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

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 record.

If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported". If the committee votes against the bill, it dies.

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The bill is reported

Once a bill has been approved by a committee, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. At this stage, the bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives.

During the debate, Representatives discuss the bill, explaining 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 (voice vote): 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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The 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: viva voce, division, and recorded.

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 House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the Senate.