The Bill's Journey: Lawmaking Simplified

The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complex one. In the US, 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 US Senate or House of Representatives, or be proposed by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. The bill then goes through a process of research, discussion, changes, and voting in both bodies of Congress. If a bill passes in both bodies, the two versions are reconciled, and the final bill is presented to the president for approval. The president can approve the bill, veto it, or do nothing (a pocket veto). If the president approves, the bill becomes a law. If the president vetoes, Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both bodies, and the bill becomes a law.

A bill is drafted and introduced

Drafting a bill is the first step in the legislative process. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Any member of Congress, either from the Senate or the House of Representatives, can draft a bill. These ideas can come from the 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 is assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and a sponsor's name. It is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made. Senate bills can be jointly sponsored, and members can co-sponsor the piece of legislation.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are groups of members of Congress who are particularly interested in different topics, such as health or international affairs. The committee will carefully examine the bill, determine its chances of passage by Congress, and may 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 bill to be put on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered "dead".

If the committee wishes to gather more information before deciding whether to send the bill to the House floor, it 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.

Once 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 favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned a number, labelled with the sponsor's name, and sent to the Government Printing Office, it is then put before the chamber to be voted on.

There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives:

• 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).

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.

In the U.S. Senate, 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 U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

The bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President

The bill becomes law

Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President. The President can choose to either approve the bill, in which case it becomes a law, or veto it. If the President chooses to veto the bill, it is sent back to Congress, who can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate, and the bill becomes a law. If the President does nothing for 10 days and Congress is still in session, the bill will automatically become a law. However, if Congress is not in session, the bill will not become a law. This is known as a "pocket veto".

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