The Bill's Journey: Understanding The Path To Law

Laws in the United States begin as bills, which are proposals for new laws or changes to existing ones. The process of a bill becoming a law involves several stages, including drafting, introduction, committee review, voting, and approval by the President. This journey involves the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President, each playing a crucial role in shaping and approving the bill before it can become a law.

A bill is proposed

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, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

Once an idea for a bill has been formulated, the bill must be drafted. Any member of Congress – either from the Senate or the House of Representatives – can draft a bill. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". When a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in the hopes of getting their support for it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

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 U.S. 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.

The bill is introduced

The first step in the legislative process is the introduction of a bill to Congress. Anyone can write it, but only members of Congress can introduce legislation. Some bills are introduced at the request of the President, such as the annual federal budget. During the legislative process, the initial bill can undergo drastic changes.

A bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk in the House of Representatives. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the House. 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.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested in different topics such as health or international affairs. When a bill is in the hands of the committee, it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. 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 "dead".

Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on a certain topic. Often, committees refer bills to a subcommittee for study and their own hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor.

If the committee members require more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. A subcommittee is a group of specialists that falls under a committee and has a more specific focus. While in subcommittee, the bill is closely examined, and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

The committee will then meet to make changes and amendments to the bill. They will vote on whether to recommend the bill to the "floor". If the committee votes against reporting the 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".

Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate, and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then either passed or defeated by the members' voting.

The bill is reported

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are groups of representatives who are experts on specific topics, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee approves a bill, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor.

When a bill is reported to the House floor, it is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives discuss the bill, explaining why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and the representatives recommend changes. Once 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, 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 who 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 does the same for those who oppose it. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system, and 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 U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate, where it will go through a similar process of committee review, debate, and voting.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reported to the House floor, it is ready to be voted on.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill: Viva Voce, 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 who oppose it to say "no". In a Division vote, the Speaker of the House asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose the bill. In a Recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, and 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 certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

In the Senate, Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the Senate and is ready to be sent to the President.

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.

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