Gavin Howe
Passing a law involves several steps and people. A bill is the first step in the process of creating a law. A bill can be drafted by any member of Congress, including the Senate and the House of Representatives. The bill is then introduced in the House or Senate, depending on the sponsor. Once the bill is approved by both the House and Senate, it is sent to the President for approval. If the President approves, the bill becomes a law. However, if the President vetoes the bill, Congress may vote to override the veto, and the bill can still become a law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of steps a bill goes through before becoming a law | 9 |
| Who can draft a bill | Any member of Congress (either from the Senate or the House of Representatives) |
| Who introduces the bill | A Representative or a Senator |
| What happens after the bill is introduced | It can be found on Congress.gov |
| What happens when the bill is passed by the House or Senate | It is referred to the other chamber |
| What happens when the bill reaches the other chamber | The chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it or change it |
| What happens if the bill is approved by both the House and Senate | It is sent to the President |
| What happens if the President approves the bill | It is signed and becomes a law |
| What happens if the President does not approve the bill | The President can veto the bill |
| What happens if the President vetoes the bill | Congress may attempt to override the veto |
| What happens if Congress overrides the veto | The bill becomes a law |
| What happens if the President does not sign off on the bill and Congress is no longer in session | The bill is pocket vetoed and cannot be overridden by Congress |
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What You'll Learn
A bill is drafted by a member of Congress
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law that must be considered and approved by a legislature with the authority to enact it. In the United States, any member of Congress – from the Senate or the House of Representatives – who has an idea for a law can draft a bill. These ideas can come from Congress members themselves or from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor", and other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". Once the 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. Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation.
After a bill is introduced, it is sent to a committee that will review, research, and make changes to the bill. The committee will also hold hearings, where experts, advocates, and members of the public can testify for or against the bill. The committee will then vote on whether to send the bill to the House or Senate floor for a full debate and vote. If the committee does not send the bill to the floor, it dies.
If the bill reaches the floor, the full House or Senate will debate it and then vote on whether to pass it. If the bill is passed by the chamber where it was introduced, it will be sent to the other chamber, where it will go through the same process of committees, debate, and a floor vote. If the second chamber passes the bill, it will be sent back to the first chamber to approve the changes made by the second chamber. If both chambers pass the bill in identical form, it is sent to the President.
The President can then choose to approve the bill and sign it into law. If the President refuses to approve the bill, this is called a veto. In most cases, if the President vetoes a bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto by voting on the bill again. If both the Senate and the House pass the bill by a two-thirds majority, the President's veto is overruled, 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 in what is called a "pocket veto", which cannot be overridden by Congress.
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The bill is introduced in the House or Senate
The process of passing a law begins with the introduction of a bill in either the House or the Senate. Any member of Congress, from either chamber, who has an idea for a law can draft a bill. These ideas can come from Congress members themselves or everyday citizens and advocacy groups. Once a bill is drafted, it must be introduced. If a Representative is the primary sponsor (also known as the "sponsor") of the bill, it is introduced in the House. Conversely, if a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate. The other members of Congress who support the bill are called "co-sponsors".
Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation. After introduction, a bill will usually follow a similar route through committees and eventually to the floor for a vote. This process involves several steps and the participation of numerous individuals. The U.S. House of Representatives, for instance, is responsible for creating, debating, and voting on bills to make laws for the United States.
While the House and Senate function equally, there are some procedural differences between them. For example, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation, while the Senate holds the exclusive power to draft legislation concerning presidential nominations and treaties. Additionally, the House processes legislation through a majority vote, whereas the Senate engages in deliberation and debate before voting.
If a bill passes in one chamber, it is referred to the other chamber, where it typically undergoes a similar process. The second chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it, or make changes to it. If the bill is approved by the second chamber, it is sent to the President for consideration. The President has the power to approve or veto the bill.
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The bill is passed to the other chamber
In the United States, a bill must be passed by both chambers of Congress in identical form before it can be signed into law by the president. This process is slightly different in the U.S. House of Representatives compared to the U.S. Senate.
Once a bill has passed one body of Congress, it is passed to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. The first chamber to receive the bill will have either initiated the legislation or received it from the other chamber. If the bill originated in the House, it will be prefixed with H.R., and if it originated in the Senate, it will be prefixed with S.
The bill is then put before the second chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes, both chambers must work out any differences between the two versions. They then vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president.
The president can then choose to approve the bill and sign it into law. Alternatively, they can refuse to approve the bill, which is called a veto. If the president vetoes the bill, Congress can usually vote to override this veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the president does not sign off on the bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This is called a pocket veto and cannot be overridden.
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The President approves the bill
The President plays a crucial role in the passage of a bill. Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee, researched, discussed, and voted on by both bodies of Congress. After both bodies of Congress have voted to accept a bill, the President must consider it. At this stage, the President has the power to approve the bill and pass it into law or refuse to approve it by exercising their veto power.
When the President approves a bill, they sign it into law. The law then receives a number based on the order in which it was signed. For instance, a citation to a public law may look like "P.L.107-101", where "107" indicates that the law was passed during the 107th Congress, and "101" is its numerical designation.
The President's approval is essential for a bill to become law, except in certain cases. For instance, joint resolutions proposing amendments to the Constitution do not require the President's signature.
If the President chooses to veto a bill, Congress can override the veto, and the bill will still become a law. However, if the President does not sign off on a bill before Congress adjourns, the bill will be pocket-vetoed and cannot be overridden by Congress.
In summary, the President's approval of a bill is a significant step in the law-making process. The President can approve a bill by signing it into law or refuse to approve it by vetoing it. The President's signature enacts the bill into law, and Congress can override a veto to pass the bill into law in most cases.
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The bill is signed into law
Once a bill has been introduced and passed by the House or the Senate, it is referred to the other chamber, where it follows a similar process. This chamber may approve the bill, reject it, ignore it, or make changes. If the bill is rejected, it dies. If changes are made, a conference committee may be formed to resolve or reconcile the differences between the two versions of the bill. If an agreement is reached, the committee members prepare a report with recommendations for the final bill. Both the House and the Senate must then vote to approve this report.
After both chambers have approved the bill in identical form, the bill is sent to the President for approval. The President can then choose to approve the bill and sign it into law. Once the President has signed the bill, it becomes a law, also known as an Act of Congress. The law receives a number in the order in which it is signed. For example, a citation to a public law might look like this: P.L.107-101, where 107 indicates that this law was passed during the 107th Congress, and 101 is the numerical designation it received.
If the President does not approve of the bill, they can choose to veto it. However, in most cases, Congress can vote to override this veto, and the bill can still become a 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 action is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.
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Frequently asked questions
The process of passing a law in the US involves several steps. First, any member of Congress can draft a bill based on their ideas or suggestions from citizens and advocacy groups. Once the bill is drafted, it must be introduced in either the House or the Senate, depending on the sponsor. After passing through committees and the chamber, the bill is sent to the other chamber, where it follows a similar process. If both chambers approve the bill, it is sent to the President for approval. The President can sign the bill into law or veto it. If vetoed, Congress can vote to override the veto, and the bill becomes a law.
A bill is a proposed law presented to the legislature for consideration. It undergoes several steps and requires approval from both chambers of Congress and the President to become a law.
If the President does not sign a bill, it can be vetoed. In most cases, Congress can vote to override the veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the President does not sign off on a bill when Congress is no longer in session, it is called a pocket veto, which cannot be overridden.
