The Legislative Process: From Bill To Law

The process of how a bill becomes a law is complex and lengthy. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. It can be introduced by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by people or citizen groups. Once introduced, a bill must navigate a series of committees, amendments, votes, and floor votes in both houses of Congress. If a bill passes both houses, it is presented to the president, who can approve and sign it into law or veto it. Congress can override a presidential veto, but if a bill is not signed and Congress is no longer in session, it will be pocket vetoed and cannot become law.

A bill is proposed by a member of the US Senate or House of Representatives

The process of how a bill becomes a law in the United States is complex, with many stages at which a bill can be blocked or amended. The first stage of this process is for a bill to be proposed by a member of the US Senate or House of Representatives. This can happen when a sitting member proposes a bill, or during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or groups of citizens, who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress. Once a bill has been proposed, it is introduced by a congressperson.

The formal process begins with the legislator introducing the bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee, whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Most bills can start in either the Senate or the House of Representatives, except for revenue bills, which must start in the House. The committee will then write up the bill in formal, legal language, or markup, and vote on it. If the bill passes the committee stage, it moves to the floor of the full Senate or House for consideration. The Senate decides the rules for debate, including how long the debate will last and whether or not there will be amendments. An open rule allows for amendments, while a closed rule does not. Open rules make it less likely for a bill to pass, as opponents of the bill can add clauses that will make it difficult for proponents to vote for. If the bill wins a majority of votes in the Senate or House, it moves on to the other chamber.

The bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee will then research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. For example, if the bill is about naming helicopters, it would be referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which would then write up the bill in formal, legal language, or markup, and vote on it. If the markup wins a majority in the committee, it moves to the floor of the full Senate for consideration.

The Senate decides the rules for debate—how long the debate will go on and whether or not there will be amendments. An open rule allows for amendments, and a closed rule does not. Open rules make it much less likely for a bill to pass because proponents of the bill can add clauses that will make it hard for the bill's supporters to vote for. For example, if opponents of the helicopter-naming bill were to add a clause repealing the Affordable Care Act, some supporters of the bill probably wouldn't vote for it.

If a bill wins the majority of the votes in the Senate, it moves onto the House. However, the House has an extra step, as all bills must go to the Rules Committee before going out to the floor of the House.

The bill is voted on by the chamber

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. The Senate decides the rules for debate—how long the debate will go on and whether or not there will be amendments. An open rule allows for amendments, while a closed rule does not. Open rules make it much less likely for a bill to pass because proponents of the bill can add clauses that will make it hard for the bill's supporters to vote for. If a bill wins the majority of the votes in the Senate, it moves on to the House.

The Senate version of the bill is sent to the House, but before it goes out to the floor of the House, it must go to the Rules Committee, which reports it out to the House. If the bill receives the majority of votes in the House—238 or more to be exact—it passes. However, this is rarely the end of the process. Usually, the second chamber to receive the bill will want to make some changes, and if this happens, it will go to a conference committee made up of members from both houses.

The conference committee attempts to reconcile both versions of the bill and come up with a new version, sometimes called a compromise bill. If the Conference Committee reaches a compromise, it then sends the bill back to both houses for a new vote. If it passes, then it's sent to the President.

The bill is passed to the other body of Congress

The process of how a bill becomes a law is complex, with many potential pitfalls. Once a bill has passed one body of Congress, it is passed to the other body of Congress to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. This could be the House of Representatives or the Senate, depending on where the bill started.

The bill is first sent to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes the majority of votes in the second body of Congress, it moves on to the next stage. However, this rarely happens without changes being made. Usually, the second body of Congress will want to make amendments to the bill.

If the bill passes the second body of Congress, the two bodies must then work together to reconcile any differences between the two versions of the bill. This is done by a conference committee, made up of members from both bodies of Congress. The conference committee will attempt to create a compromise bill that both bodies can agree on. If a compromise is reached, the new version of the bill is sent back to both bodies for another vote.

The bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has successfully navigated the legislative process, passing through both houses of Congress, it is then sent to the President. This is the final stage of the process, and it is here that the bill can be enacted into law.

The President has three options: they can sign the bill into law, refusing to approve it, or do nothing. If the President approves of the bill, they will sign it, and it becomes law. However, if they do not agree with the bill, they can veto it, stopping it in its tracks. A presidential veto does not necessarily mean the end for a bill, as Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses.

The third option, doing nothing, is called a pocket veto. If the President neither signs nor vetoes the bill, and Congress goes out of session within ten days, the bill will not become law. This type of veto is used when the President does not want a law to pass but does not want to use their formal veto power for political reasons. Congress can avoid this outcome by ensuring the President receives the bill more than ten days before Congress is no longer in session. If the President does nothing and Congress remains in session for more than ten days, the bill becomes law without the President's signature.

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