Cecily Zamora
In the United States, an individual can request a law to be created by petitioning a bill to a member of Congress. Congress is the law-making branch of the federal government and consists of two houses: the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to the bill. The bill then goes through several stages of voting in both houses of Congress before being presented to the president for approval.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who can propose a bill? | A sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or a citizen group or individual who petitions their representative |
| What is a bill? | A proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law |
| What happens once a bill is introduced? | It is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to the bill |
| What happens after the committee stage? | The bill goes to both houses of Congress, which vote to accept it; if it passes, it is presented to the president |
| What can the president do? | The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it (refuse to approve it) |
| What happens if the president vetoes the bill? | In most cases, Congress can vote to override the veto and the bill becomes a law |
| What is a pocket veto? | If the president does not sign off on a bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, and Congress cannot override this |
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What You'll Learn
- Bills can be petitioned by citizens who recommend a new law to Congress
- A bill is assigned to a committee for research, discussion, and changes
- Both bodies vote to accept a bill, then work out differences
- The president considers the bill, and can approve or veto it
- Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote
Bills can be petitioned by citizens who recommend a new law to Congress
In the United States, Congress is the federal government's law-making branch. 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 who recommend a new law to Congress.
The first nationally organized petitioning drive in the US was led by Harriet Beecher Stowe and Angela Grimke in 1830. The petition protested the federal government's removal of the Cherokee Indians from their native lands. Unfortunately, the petitions were ignored by Congress, and the Cherokees were forcibly removed from their land in what became known as the Trail of Tears. Despite this, women's use of petitions is significant in American history, playing a major part in important national social movements, including the abolition of slavery and the campaign for women's suffrage.
Citizens can also petition for a bill to be discharged from a committee. After a bill has been introduced and referred to a standing committee for 30 days, a member of the House can file a motion to have the bill discharged, or released, from consideration by the committee. For this to happen, a majority of the House (218 voting members) must sign the petition. Once the petition receives 218 signatures, the House considers the motion to discharge the bill and takes a vote after 20 minutes of debate.
In addition to citizens, members of the minority party in the House of Representatives may also use discharge petitions to force a vote on a contentious bill. However, this is a rare occurrence as discharge petitions are typically used on issues that can garner bipartisan support.
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A bill is assigned to a committee for research, discussion, and changes
In the United States, individuals can petition for a new law or an amendment to an existing law by recommending it to a member of Congress who represents them. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee for research, discussion, and changes.
The committee is composed of groups of Congress members with a particular interest in the topic of the bill, such as health or international affairs. Committees are subsidiary bodies established for the purpose of considering legislation, conducting hearings, and investigations. There are different types of committees, including standing committees, joint committees, and special or select committees. Standing committees are permanent committees established under the standing rules of the Senate, specialising in particular subject areas. The Senate has 16 standing committees. Joint committees include members from both houses of Congress and are usually established with narrow jurisdictions, typically lacking the authority to report legislation. The position of chair usually alternates between members from the House and Senate.
Once a bill is with the committee, it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. Committees may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and to put the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation on the record. Hearings are generally open to the public, but in rare cases, such as when discussing national security issues, a committee will meet behind closed doors. After a hearing, most committees post witness testimony on their websites, though these often do not include the question-and-answer portion of the hearing. Committees also provide access to webcasts of the hearings, which are posted on the committee's website after the hearing.
Committees may refer bills to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. Subcommittees are organised under committees and have further specialisation on a certain topic. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee. Once the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to ""mark up" the bill, making changes and amendments prior to recommending it to the "floor".
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Both bodies vote to accept a bill, then work out differences
In the United States, Congress is the law-making branch of the federal government. 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 bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee will hold a "'mark-up' session" during which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" which will include the proposed amendments. 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. If the House and Senate pass different bills, they are sent to a Conference Committee, which is usually made up of senior members from each house. The representatives from each house work to maintain their version of the bill. If the Conference Committee reaches a compromise, it prepares a written conference report, which is submitted to each chamber. The conference report must be approved by both the House and the Senate. 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. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law. Or the president can 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. This action is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.
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The president considers the bill, and can approve or veto it
In democratic countries, individuals can petition their representatives to propose a new law or an amendment to an existing law. In the United States, people can petition members of Congress, while in the United Kingdom, they can petition members of the House of Commons or Lords. In India, legislative proposals are brought before either house of Parliament in the form of a bill, which is then published in newspapers and opened to public comment.
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. It is then put to a vote, and if it passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. After both bodies have voted to accept the bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then, both chambers vote on the same version of the bill, and if it passes, it is presented to the president for consideration.
The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or they can refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president vetoes a bill, Congress can usually vote to override the 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 this cannot be overridden.
In the UK, once a bill has been agreed upon by the House of Commons and the House of Lords, it must be approved by the reigning monarch, which is known as Royal Assent. After Royal Assent, the government is responsible for implementing the law, which may start immediately or at a later date. In India, a bill must be assented to by the President to become an act of Parliament.
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Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote
In the United States, individuals can request a law to be created by petitioning their representatives in Congress with a proposal for a new law or an amendment to an existing law. This is known as a "bill," which can be introduced by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee that will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill then goes through both bodies of Congress, which must work out any differences between their respective versions before presenting a final version to the president for approval.
The president has the power to veto a bill, preventing it from becoming law. However, Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber, allowing the bill to become law without the president's signature. This power of override is significant as it acts as a check on the president's veto power and enables Congress to push through legislation even without the president's approval. Historically, Congress has overridden about 7% of presidential vetoes.
The process of overriding a veto involves both houses of Congress voting on the vetoed bill. If a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate approve the bill, it becomes law without requiring the president's signature. This demonstrates the importance of Congress in the law-making process and how it can act as a counterbalance to presidential power.
It is worth noting that there are certain limitations to Congress's ability to override a veto. For example, if Congress adjourns before the ten-day period during which the president could have signed the bill, the bill fails to become law, and this type of veto is called a "pocket veto." Additionally, in some territories like Puerto Rico, there used to be an absolute presidential veto over territorial legislation, showcasing the varying dynamics of law-making processes across different jurisdictions within the United States.
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Frequently asked questions
Individuals can propose a law by petitioning a bill to a member of Congress. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. After this, both bodies vote to accept the bill and 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 for approval.
If the president does not approve the bill, they can veto it. If this happens, Congress can vote to override the veto, and the bill becomes a law.
A joint resolution requires the approval of both houses and, with one exception, the signature of the president. There is no real difference between a bill and a joint resolution, except that joint resolutions are used to deal with limited matters, such as a single appropriation for a specific purpose.
