The Legislative Process: Votes To Laws

The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complex one. In the United States, the legislative process begins with a bill being introduced by a member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. The bill is then assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. Following this, the bill is put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies have voted to accept a bill, a conference committee, made up of members from each house, works to resolve any differences between the two versions. The resulting bill then returns to both houses for final approval before being sent to the President for review. The President can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the President chooses to veto the bill, Congress can, in most cases, vote to override this and the bill will become a law.

A bill is introduced by a member of the House or Senate

A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can introduce a bill. 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.

In the House of Representatives, a bill is introduced by being handed to the clerk of the House or placed in the hopper, a wooden box provided for that purpose located on the side of the rostrum in the House Chamber. In the Senate, members must gain recognition of 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.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. 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, and 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.

The committee will then 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. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.

In the House, most bills go to the Rules committee before reaching the floor. The committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes. The rules committee can be bypassed in three ways: members can move rules to be suspended (requiring a two-thirds vote), a discharge petition can be filed, or the House can use a Calendar Wednesday procedure.

The bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. This committee will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. 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.

The committee may refer the bill to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. 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. They will 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 favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

A 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. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.

In the House, most bills go to the Rules Committee before reaching the floor. The committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes. The rules committee can be bypassed in three ways: members can move rules to be suspended (this requires a two-thirds vote); a discharge petition can be filed; or the House can use a Calendar Wednesday procedure.

The bill is voted on by the chamber

Once a bill has been assigned to a committee, researched, discussed, and changed, it is then put before the chamber to be voted on. In the House of Representatives, a simple majority of 218 out of 435 votes are needed for the bill to pass. In the Senate, a simple majority of 51 out of 100 votes are needed. 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.

The House and Senate have some procedural differences in how they vote on bills. While both are equal in how they function, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation. The House processes legislation through a majority vote, while the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting.

The bill is sent to the other chamber

Once a bill has been passed by one chamber of the US Congress, it is sent to the other chamber, where it will go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes and voting.

In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, debated and voted on. A simple majority (51 out of 100) is required for the bill to pass.

If the bill passes in the second chamber, a conference committee made up of members from both chambers will work to resolve any differences between the two versions. The resulting bill will then return to both chambers for final approval.

The bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President has 10 days to sign the bill into law or to veto it. If the President takes no action for 10 days and Congress has already adjourned, the bill will be pocket vetoed. A pocket veto cannot be overridden by Congress. If the President chooses to veto the bill, it will be sent back to Congress with a note listing their reasons. The chamber that originated the legislation can then attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote. If the veto is overridden by both chambers, the bill becomes a law.

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