Understanding The Legislative Process: Bills To Laws

Creating laws is the most important job of the U.S. House of Representatives. All laws in the United States begin as bills. Before a bill can become a law, it must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President.

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 citizens 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 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. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president.

Bills are proposed by a member of the House of Representatives

Once a Representative has written a bill, they talk with other Representatives about the bill to get their support. A bill needs a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives before it is ready to be introduced.

In the 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 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.

Bills are introduced in the House

When a bill is introduced, a bill clerk will assign it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk will then read the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House will send the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The process of introducing a bill in the House is slightly different to the Senate. In the Senate, a member must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any Senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day.

Bills are sent to a committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee members are groups of representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. 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 the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

If the committee members would like more information before deciding if the bill should be sent to the House floor, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. While in subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

Once the bill reaches the committee, they 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".

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

Bills are voted on in the House

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned a number, labelled with the sponsor's name, sent to the Government Printing Office, and assigned to a committee, it is ready to be voted on in the House.

Voting methods

There are three methods for voting on a bill in the House:

• Viva Voce (voice vote): The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it 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).

Voting outcomes

If a majority of the Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the House. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the Senate. If the majority vote no, the bill does not pass.

Bills are sent to the Senate

Once a bill has been approved by the House of Representatives, it is sent to the Senate. Here, it goes through many of the same steps as it did in the House. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice – those who support the bill say "yea", and those who oppose it say "nay". If a majority of the Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the Senate and is ready to go to the President.

The Senate has some procedural differences from the House. While both are equal in how they function, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation. And only the Senate can draft legislation related to presidential nominations and treaties. While the House processes legislation through a majority vote, the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting.

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