The Legislative Process: How Bills Become Laws

In the United States, laws are created by the House of Representatives. All laws start as bills, which are proposed by a Representative or a citizen. The process of turning a bill into a law involves several steps, including finding a sponsor, being introduced to the House of Representatives, going through committees and subcommittees, being voted on, and, finally, being approved by the President.

A bill is proposed

In the U.S. 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 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 then assigned to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned.

Committees are 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 wishes to gather more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. The subcommittee examines the bill closely and gathers expert opinions before sending it back to the committee.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent or reported to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be 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 representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

A sponsor is found

The first step in the legislative process is for a bill to be drafted. 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, or it can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to their representative. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The sponsor of a bill is usually the one who introduces it.

Once a bill has been drafted, the sponsor will talk with other Representatives to try and get their support. This is an important step as a bill needs a sponsor and the support of other Representatives to be introduced.

Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they will research the ideas and write them into bills. The sponsor will be the Representative who has agreed to support the bill.

The sponsor will then introduce the bill. In the U.S. 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 U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill is introduced

The bill is then placed on the committee's calendar. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members require more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. The subcommittee examines the bill closely and gathers expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval.

The committee will then hold a "mark-up" session, where revisions and additions are made. 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 bill is then put on a calendar of the committee to which it has been assigned. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate usually makes the referral decision, although it is often the House or Senate parliamentarian who makes the actual referral. The committee will be chosen based on its subject matter and the expertise of its members. For example, a bill might be referred to a committee with expertise in agriculture, education, or international relations.

Bills may be referred to more than one committee and can be split so that parts are sent to different committees. The Speaker of the House may also set time limits on committees. If a committee fails to act on a bill, it is considered to be "killed". In the House, bills can only be released from committee without a proper committee vote by a discharge petition signed by the majority of the House membership (218 members).

The committee will then review, research, and revise the bill. They may request reports from government agencies and 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 also choose to 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. Subcommittees report their findings to the full committee, which then votes on whether to send the bill back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before making this decision, the bill may be sent to another subcommittee.

The full committee will then hold a "mark-up" session to 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 bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and debated, it 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)

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 Senate, a simple majority (51 out of 100) is needed to pass a bill. Senators vote by voice, with supporters saying "yea" and opponents saying "nay." If a majority of Senators say "yea," the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

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