The Us Legislative Process: How Bills Become Laws

Creating laws is the most important job of the US House of Representatives. All laws in the United States begin as bills, which are proposals for a new law or a change to an existing law. These ideas can come from anyone, from a Representative or Senator to a citizen or advocacy group. Once a bill is introduced, it must be approved by the US House of Representatives, the US Senate, and the President before it can become a law. This process involves several steps, including drafting, committee review, voting, and potential vetoes.

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 anyone—a citizen, a citizen group, or a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. Bills can also be proposed during a member's election campaign.

Once a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The sponsor is the primary Congress member supporting the bill. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill, hoping to gain their support. Other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to 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 U.S. House of Representatives. In the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any Senator objects, the introduction is postponed until the next day.

Once introduced, the bill is assigned a number that begins with H.R. It is then labelled with the sponsor's name and sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) for copying. The bill is then read by a clerk, who reads the bill number, the name of the author, and the descriptive title of the bill. The bill is then made available for public review for at least 30 calendar days before it can be acted on.

The bill is introduced

Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on the official government website that tracks federal legislation, Congress.gov. The bill is then assigned a number that begins with H.R. in the House and S. in the Senate. The bill is also labelled with the name of its sponsor or sponsors.

The bill is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made. Members can cosponsor the bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of Congress members with a particular interest or expertise in a certain topic, such as health, agriculture, education, or international affairs/relations. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate will refer the bill to the appropriate committee, and bills may be referred to more than one committee.

Committees will review, research, and revise the bill, and they may also hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather expert opinions. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to be put on record. Committees may also choose to refer the bill to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. Subcommittees are organised under committees but have a further specialisation on a certain topic. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee.

Once the committee has completed its review and, if necessary, the subcommittee has reported its findings, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They will make changes and amendments before recommending 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".

The bill is reported

Once a bill has been approved by a committee, it is sent to the House floor to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. This is when a bill is reported.

When a bill is debated, representatives discuss the bill and explain 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 that oppose it to say "no." In a division vote, 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. 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 say or select yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

The bill is voted on

Once a bill has been debated and 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, voting is done by voice. Senators who support the bill say “yea,” and those who oppose it say “nay.” If a majority of the Senators say “yea,” the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

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