The Idea's Journey: Bill To Law

Ideas for laws can come from a member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once an idea has been formed, it must be drafted into a bill, which is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the sponsor, and other members who support the bill are called co-sponsors. Once a bill has been drafted and introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill before it is voted on.

Anyone can propose an idea for a bill

Representatives are members of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is the lawmaking branch of the federal government. The House of Representatives is responsible for creating laws, and all laws in the United States begin as bills.

Once a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative will talk to other Representatives about the bill to try to get their support. A sponsor is the primary Congress member supporting the bill, and any other members who support the bill are called co-sponsors. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of other 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 in the U.S. House of Representatives. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the House of Representatives. When a bill is introduced, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. It is then read by a reading clerk to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The bill is drafted and introduced

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 a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the other members of Congress, it is ready to be introduced.

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 members of the House of Representatives can introduce bills in the House. Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

When a bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the members of the House, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of representatives with expertise on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will review, research, and revise the bill, and vote on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee would like more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. A subcommittee will examine the bill in more detail and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval.

Committees carefully examine bills and determine their chances of passage by Congress. They may hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications, putting the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents on the record. If a committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

After hearings and subcommittee review are completed, 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 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 reviewed by a subcommittee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. If the committee members require more information before deciding on the bill, it is sent to a subcommittee.

Subcommittees are specialist groups that operate under committees. They study the bill and hold hearings, closely examining the proposal and gathering expert opinions. This process can involve the views of the executive branch, other experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill. The subcommittee may also make changes to the bill.

After the subcommittee has finished its review, it must vote to refer the bill back to the full committee. The committee will then meet to discuss the bill further and make any necessary changes or amendments. 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 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. 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 of the House asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to do the same. 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 of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate. In the Senate, the bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. If a majority of Senators vote "yea", the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

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