The Legislative Process: Statute To Law

how does a statute become law

The process of turning a statute into law is a complex one. In the United States, the legislative branch of the federal government is responsible for making laws. This process begins with a bill, which is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. A bill can be proposed by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, be part of an election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once introduced, a bill is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If it passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions and then vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, it is presented to the president. The president can either approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law. However, if the president does not sign off on a bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, which is called a pocket veto.

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A bill is proposed in the legislature and voted upon

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one. In the United States, the legislative branch of the federal government is responsible for making laws. This process begins with a bill being proposed, or introduced, in the legislature. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law.

A bill can be proposed by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or it can be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, the members of 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 one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. 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.

The process of a bill becoming a law is lengthy and complex, involving multiple stages of research, discussion, amendment, and voting. The bill must be passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president to become a law.

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If approved, it passes to the executive branch

Once a bill has been approved by both chambers of Congress, it is presented to the President for their consideration. The President can either approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it by issuing a veto. If the President chooses to veto the bill, Congress can override the veto and the bill becomes law. However, if the President does not sign off on the bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, known as a "pocket veto"Public Law and receives a Public Law number based on the Congress and when it was issued. For example, P.L. 101-5 would be the fifth law enacted in the 101st Congress. Public laws are first published as slip laws and are subsequently bound into the Statutes at Large. Eventually, the laws are organised by subject, indexed, and published in the United States Code. The United States Code consists of 50 separately numbered titles, with each title containing laws relating to specific subjects.

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If the executive signs the bill it passes into law as a statute

If the executive signs the bill, it passes into law as a statute. This is the final step in the legislative process, which begins with the introduction of a bill by a legislator. The bill is then assigned 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, it is sent to the other chamber to go through the same process. Once both chambers 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, it is presented to the executive.

The executive can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law, or they can refuse to approve it. If the executive refuses to approve the bill, this is called a veto. In most cases, the legislature can override the veto and the bill becomes a law. However, if the executive does not sign off on the bill and it remains unsigned when the legislature is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This is called a pocket veto and cannot be overridden by the legislature.

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If the executive fails or refuses to sign the bill, it can be vetoed and sent back to the legislature

If the executive fails or refuses to sign a bill, it can be vetoed and sent back to the legislature. This is known as a pocket veto and cannot be overridden by Congress. In most cases, however, Congress can vote to override the veto and the bill becomes law.

The process of a bill becoming a law is a lengthy one and involves multiple stages. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. It can be proposed by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, be part of their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once introduced, a bill is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If it passes one body of Congress, it goes through the same process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions and then both chambers vote on the same version. If it passes, it is presented to the President.

The President then has the power to approve or veto the bill. If they choose to veto it, Congress can override the veto and the bill becomes law. If the President does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default and this cannot be overridden.

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If the legislature again passes the bill by a set margin it becomes a statute

The process of how a bill becomes a law varies slightly between the federal government and state governments. However, the general process remains the same. Once a bill is 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. 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.

The president then has the option to approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it by vetoing it. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This action is called a pocket veto and cannot be overridden by Congress.

If the legislature again passes the bill by a set margin, it becomes a statute. Once the bill is approved by both houses of Congress and is put into its final form, it must be signed by the executive. The executive can refuse to sign a bill and can return it to the legislature with a veto message explaining why. If the executive signs the bill, it is filed and becomes law.

Diane Explains: How a Bill Becomes a Law

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Frequently asked questions

A statute is a written law that has been enacted by a legislative body.

A bill is proposed by a legislator, then it is voted on. If it is approved, it is passed to the executive branch (the president or governor, depending on the level of government). If the executive signs the bill, it becomes a statute. If the executive vetoes the bill, it is sent back to the legislature, which can pass it again by a set margin to make it a statute.

The legislature evaluates, amends, and votes on proposed bills. In bicameral legislatures, the bill must be passed by both houses in the same form.

The executive can sign a bill into law or veto it.

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