The Proposal's Journey: Becoming A Law

In the United States, the process of turning a proposal into a law is a complex one. The U.S. House of Representatives is responsible for creating laws, with all laws beginning as bills. These bills can be proposed by a Representative or a citizen. Once a bill has been drafted, it must be introduced, given a number, and assigned to a committee for review and revision. The bill is then put to a vote, and if passed, it is referred to the other body (the U.S. Senate) to go through a similar process. Once both bodies have approved the bill, they must reconcile any differences, and the bill is then presented to the President for approval. The President can approve the bill, veto it, or do nothing, which results in a pocket veto. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote.

A bill is drafted

Any member of Congress – either from the Senate or the House of Representatives – who has an idea for a law can draft a bill. These ideas can come from the members of Congress themselves or from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. The primary member of Congress supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The 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. 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. When a bill is introduced, it is given a number: bills introduced in the House of Representatives are given numbers that begin with H.R., and bills introduced in the Senate start with S.

The bill is introduced

In the United States, the process of turning a proposal into a law begins with the introduction of a bill. This can be done by any member of Congress, either from the Senate or the House of Representatives. The idea for a bill can also be proposed by citizens or advocacy groups, who can petition their representative to sponsor the bill. Once a bill is drafted, it must be introduced. If a Representative is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the House, and if a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate.

The introduction of a bill is a formal process. 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. Representatives are the only ones who can introduce bills in the House. Once introduced, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. This number signifies that it is a House bill. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, after which the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

Similarly, in the Senate, a bill is introduced by being read twice on the floor and then sent to the Senate calendar. Senate bills are assigned a number that begins with S. to indicate that they originated in the Senate.

After introduction, a bill is referred to a committee for further review and discussion. Committees are composed of groups of Congress members with expertise or interest in specific topics such as health or international affairs. The committee carefully examines the bill, holds hearings, and determines its chances of passage by Congress. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is referred to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are experts on 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 to be "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 subcommittee may request reports from government agencies, hold hearings so that experts and interested parties have an opportunity to offer testimony regarding the issue, "mark up" or revise the bill, or report the legislation to the full committee for its consideration. The full committee may make a recommendation to pass the bill, to revise (i.e., mark up) and release the bill (also known as reporting the bill out of the committee), or to lay the bill aside (also known as tabling the bill).

When the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They 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".

When a bill reaches the committee, the committee members—groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations—review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send the bill back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before deciding if the bill should be sent to the House floor, the bill is sent to a subcommittee.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been debated and representatives have had the opportunity to explain why they agree or disagree with it, 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, 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 asks supporters to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for opponents of the bill. In a Recorded vote, representatives use an electronic voting system to record their vote. 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 certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate. If the bill is rejected by the House, it does not proceed any further and is essentially "dead".

The process is similar in the Senate, with senators voting by voice. Supporters of the bill say "yea", and opponents say "nay". If a majority of senators support the bill, it passes in the Senate and is ready to be presented to the President. If the Senate rejects the bill, it does not proceed any further.

The bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President has several options: they can sign the bill into law, or veto it and send it back to Congress. If the President takes no action on the bill within 10 days (excluding Sundays) and Congress is still in session, the bill will become law without the President's signature. This is known as a "pocket veto". However, if Congress adjourns before the 10-day period is up, the bill will not become law and cannot be overridden by Congress.

If the President vetoes a bill, it is sent back to the chamber in which it originated. This chamber can then attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote. If this is successful, the bill is sent to the other chamber, which can also attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote. If both chambers successfully override the veto, the bill becomes law.

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