Understanding Lawmaking: Bills To Laws Explained For Kids

Did you know that all laws in the United States start out as ideas? Anyone can come up with an idea for a law, and if a member of the House of Representatives likes it, they can turn it into a bill. The bill then goes on a long journey, passing through committees, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President, before it can become a law. Let's find out more about how a bill becomes a law!

Bills are proposed by a Representative or citizen

So, you want to know how a bill becomes a law, huh? Well, it all starts with an idea. That idea can come from anyone—even you! Let's imagine that you have an idea for a new law. What would you do?

First, you would need to contact your Representative and discuss your idea with them. If they agree that it's a good idea, they'll do some research and then write it up as a bill. This is the first step towards making your idea into a law! Your Representative will then become the sponsor of the bill.

Now, your Representative will start talking to their fellow Representatives about the bill, trying to get them on board and show them why they should support it. This is an important step because once a bill has a sponsor and the backing of several Representatives, it's ready to be introduced.

The next step is for your Representative to officially introduce the bill. They do this by placing it in a special box called the hopper, which is on the side of the clerk's desk. This is a very important moment because now the bill is on its way to becoming a law! Once the bill is in the hopper, it gets a number that starts with H.R. and is read out loud by a reading clerk to all the Representatives. After this, the Speaker of the House sends the bill to a committee.

The committee is a group of Representatives who are experts on different topics, like education or international relations. They carefully review the bill, do more research, and might even make some changes to it before they vote on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If they need more information, they might send the bill to a subcommittee first for an even closer look.

So, there you have it! That's how a bill gets proposed and takes its first steps towards becoming a law. It all starts with an idea, and anyone can be part of this process, even you!

A sponsor is found and support is gathered

So, you have an idea for a bill, and you want to see it become a law. Great! Now, you need to find a sponsor. A sponsor is someone who introduces the bill to the U.S. House of Representatives. This person is called the primary sponsor, and they can be a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner. It's important to get the support of other Representatives too, so your sponsor will talk to their colleagues about the bill and try to get them on board. This is an important step because once a bill has a sponsor and the support of other Representatives, it's ready to be introduced.

Let's say your idea for a new law is about something that affects your community. You might contact your local Representative and share your idea with them. If they like it and agree to sponsor your bill, they will talk to other Representatives to get their support. This might involve some negotiation and compromise to make sure the bill is something that most Representatives can get behind. It's important to remember that not all Representatives will agree with every bill, so finding a sponsor and gathering support is a crucial step in the process.

Your sponsor will also need to do some research and maybe even write a draft of the bill. This is where they will work out the details of the proposed law and make sure it is clear, feasible, and has a good chance of being accepted. Once the bill is written, it's ready to be introduced! The sponsor will place the bill in the hopper, which is a special wooden box on the side of the clerk's desk. This is a big moment because now your bill is on its way to becoming a law!

Finding a sponsor and gathering support is a key step in turning your idea into a bill and, eventually, a law. It's where your idea gains momentum and starts to become a reality. It's important to remember that not all ideas will become laws, but if you can find a dedicated sponsor and gather enough support, you'll be well on your way!

The bill is introduced to the House of Representatives

So, you want to know how a bill becomes a law? Well, it all starts with an idea. Anyone can have an idea for a bill, even you! If you have an idea, you can contact your Representatives to discuss it. If they like your idea, they will do some research and write it up as a bill.

Introducing the Bill to the House of Representatives

Now that the Representative has written the bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative will talk to other Representatives about the bill and try to get them to support it. Once the bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the other 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 wooden 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 gives it a number that starts with H.R. Then, a reading clerk reads the bill out loud to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on different topics, like agriculture, education, or international relations. They will review, research, and revise the bill before deciding if they want to send it back to the House of Representatives to be voted on.

If the committee wants more information before making a decision, they will send the bill to a subcommittee. The subcommittee will take a closer look at the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee.

So, that's the first step in turning a bill into a law! It starts with an idea, and then it's introduced to the House of Representatives, where it begins its journey to becoming a law.

The bill is assigned to a 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 the topic of the bill. For example, if the bill is about education, the committee members will be experts in education. The committee members will carefully review and research the bill. They will also discuss the bill and decide if any changes need to be made to it. This is called "mark-up".

If the committee members need more information before they can make a decision, they will send the bill to a subcommittee. A subcommittee will take a very close look at the bill and gather opinions from experts before sending it back to the committee.

Once the committee is happy with the bill, they will vote on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee approves the bill, it will be sent back to the House floor to be debated by all the Representatives. If the committee does not approve the bill, it will die, which means it will not become a law.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, debated, and amended, it is put to a vote. 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 who oppose it to say "no."

Division

The Speaker 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. 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. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

The process is similar in the U.S. Senate, where the bill is discussed and 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.

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