Understanding The Texas Legislative Process: Bills To Laws

The process of a bill becoming a law in Texas is a complex one. The Texas Legislature is bicameral, with 150 members of the House of Representatives and 31 members of the State Senate. The House of Representatives is presided over by the Speaker of the House, while the Lieutenant Governor is head of the Senate. The process begins with the introduction of a bill, which is then referred to a committee. The committee reviews, researches, and revises the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the bill is approved, it is sent to the full House or Senate for consideration, known as floor action. If the full House or Senate approves the bill, it is sent to the other chamber, where it goes through a similar process. If both chambers approve the bill, but with amendments, members of both chambers meet to work out the differences. The final version of the bill must then be considered and approved by both chambers before being sent to the Governor. The Governor has three options: signing and passing the bill into law, vetoing it, or doing nothing (pocket veto). If the Governor vetoes the bill, it can still become a law if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support it.

The bill is proposed and introduced

The legislative process begins with a law as an idea. These ideas can come from a Representative or a citizen. Citizens with ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss them. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

The bill is proposed

When a Representative has written a bill, they need to find a sponsor. The Representative discusses the bill with other Representatives to get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

The bill is 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 aloud to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The legislative session is 140 days, starting at the beginning of odd-numbered years. This is the only time laws and a budget can be passed.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is referred to a committee. Committee members may decide not to consider the bill, in which case the bill dies. If the committee members decide the bill has merit, they hold hearings on the bill. After the hearings, committee members issue a report on the bill, which contains the bill (possibly with revised text), the committee's recommendations, and background information on the bill.

Committees are made up of groups of representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before deciding, 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.

There are 15 Senate standing committees and 34 House standing committees. Standing committees exist year-round and only have members from one chamber. Joint committees have both senators and representatives. There may also be select committees, which exist for a specific purpose and are not renewed on a permanent basis.

While a bill is in committee, its existing language can be swapped with a committee substitute. To help strengthen a bill, the author of the bill can change its language at this stage before others have a chance to amend it.

The bill is reported

Once a bill has been introduced, it is referred to a committee. Committee members may decline to consider the bill, or report unfavourably on it; if so, the bill dies. If members decide the bill has merit, they hold hearings on it. After hearings, committee members issue their report on the bill. This report contains the bill (perhaps now with revised text), the committee's recommendations, and background information on the bill. This is the stage at which the bill is reported.

After a committee recommends the passage of a bill, it goes to the full House or Senate for consideration, a stage known as "floor action". These proceedings and debates can be found in the Congressional Record, which is issued daily when Congress is in session.

The bill is then debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and the Representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no". In a division vote, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to do the same. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system, selecting "yes", "no", or "present" if they don't want to vote on the bill.

If a majority of the Representatives say or select "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 bill is voted on

Once a bill has been debated, discussed, and revised, it is ready to be voted on. In the US House of Representatives, there are three methods of voting on a bill: viva voce, division, and recorded.

In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks supporters of the bill to say "aye" and those against it to say "no". In a division vote, the Speaker of the House asks supporters of the bill to stand up and be counted, and then asks those who oppose the bill to do the same. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system. They can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote on the bill.

If a majority of Representatives vote yes, the bill passes in the House and is then sent to the US Senate. If the bill does not receive majority support, it does not pass.

The bill then goes through many of the same steps in the US Senate. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of Senators vote "yea", the bill passes in the Senate and is sent to the President. If the bill does not receive majority support, it does not pass.

The bill is sent to the president

Once a bill has passed in both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President. At this stage, the President has three options:

• Sign and pass the bill—the bill becomes a law.
• Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill—the bill is sent back to the House, along with the President's reasons for the veto. If the House and the Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on the bill. A two-thirds majority in each chamber can overrule a veto, but the Legislature must be in session to override.
• Do nothing (pocket veto)—if Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

If a bill has passed in both the House and the Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law and is enforced by the government.

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