The Ordinary Bill's Journey To Becoming A Law

The process of an ordinary bill becoming a law is a long and complex one. In the US, the lawmaking branch of the federal government is Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the Senate or House of Representatives, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee that researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. It 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, and then both chambers vote on the same version. If it passes, it is presented to the president, who can approve 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.

A bill is drafted by a member of Congress

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, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once a member of Congress has an idea for a bill, they draft it.

The process of drafting a bill involves writing a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. This proposal takes the form of a document that outlines the proposed law's structure and the policy that underpins it. The drafting of statutes is an art that requires great skill, knowledge, and experience. In some cases, a draft is the result of a study covering a period of a year or more by a commission or committee designated by the President or a member of the Cabinet.

The member of Congress who drafts the bill is known as the "sponsor". Other members of Congress who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". 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. Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

Once the bill is drafted and introduced, it is assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) where copies are made. The bill is then referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. The committee will carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by Congress. The committee may also hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and allow supporters and opponents to voice their opinions.

After the committee has finished its work, the bill will be sent back to the floor for further debate and voting. If the bill passes this stage, it will be referred to the other chamber (House or Senate) where it will go through a similar process of committee review, debate, and voting. If the bill passes this second chamber, the two chambers will work together to resolve any differences between their versions of the bill. Once both chambers have agreed on a final version, the bill will be sent to the President for approval.

It is introduced to the House or Senate

Once a bill has been drafted, it must be introduced to the House or Senate. 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.

In the House, legislation is handed to the clerk of the House or placed in the hopper. 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 of the bill is postponed until the next day.

Once introduced, the bill is assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and labelled with the sponsor's name. It is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made. Senate bills can be jointly sponsored. Members can also cosponsor the legislation.

The bill is then referred 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. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it.

In the House, most bills go to the Rules committee before reaching the floor. The committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes. The rules committee can be bypassed in three ways: 1) members can move rules to be suspended (requires a two-thirds vote); 2) a discharge petition can be filed; or 3) the House can use a Calendar Wednesday procedure.

Legislation is then placed on the Calendar:

• House: Bills are placed on one of four House Calendars. They are usually placed on the calendars in the order they are reported, yet they don't usually come to the floor in this order—some bills never reach the floor at all. The Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader decide what will reach the floor and when.
• Senate: Legislation is placed on the Legislative Calendar. There is also an Executive calendar to deal with treaties and nominations. Scheduling of legislation is the job of the Majority Leader. Bills can be brought to the floor whenever a majority of the Senate chooses.

In the House, debate is limited by the rules formulated in the Rules Committee. The Committee of the Whole debates and amends the bill but cannot technically pass it. Debate is guided by the Sponsoring Committee, and time is divided equally between proponents and opponents. The Committee decides how much time to allot to each person. Amendments must be germane to the subject of a bill—no riders are allowed. The bill is reported back to the House (to itself) and is voted on. A quorum call is a vote to make sure that there are enough members present (218) for a final vote. If there is not a quorum, the House will adjourn or will send the Sergeant at Arms out to round up missing members.

In the Senate, debate is unlimited unless cloture is invoked. Members can speak as long as they want and amendments need not be germane—riders are often offered. Entire bills can therefore be offered as amendments to other bills. Unless cloture is invoked, Senators can use a filibuster to defeat a measure by "talking it to death."

The bill is then voted on. If passed, it is sent to the other chamber unless that chamber already has a similar measure under consideration. If either chamber does not pass the bill, it dies. If the House and Senate pass the same bill, it is sent to the President. If the House and Senate pass different bills, they are sent to a Conference Committee. Most major legislation goes to a Conference Committee.

The bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are groups of Congress members with a particular interest in a topic, such as health or international affairs. The committee will carefully examine the bill, determine its chances of passage by Congress, and may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Hearings allow for the views of experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to be put on record.

Committees may refer bills to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on a certain topic. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee.

Once hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to make changes and amendments to the bill. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. If the committee votes against the bill, it dies.

The committee staff will then prepare a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill may write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

In the US House of Representatives, most bills go to the Rules committee before reaching the floor. The Rules committee adopts rules that govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes.

In the US Senate, introduced measures and House-passed measures are referred to the one committee of preponderant jurisdiction by the Parliamentarian on behalf of the Presiding Officer. By special or standing order, a measure may be referred to more than one committee in the Senate.

The bill is voted on by the full chamber

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and researched, discussed, and amended by the committee, it is then put before the full chamber to be voted on. This is the sixth step in the process of a bill becoming a law.

The bill reaches the floor, where there is additional debate, and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members' votes. This process is known as "ordering a bill reported". If the committee votes against reporting the legislation, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor.

In the US, the full chamber can refer to the full Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives, or it can refer to the Senate or the House of Representatives individually. In the case of the latter, once the bill has been voted on by the full chamber, it is then referred to the other chamber, where it will usually follow the same route through committees and, finally, to the floor.

The bill is sent to the President for approval

Once a bill has been approved by both houses of Congress, it is sent to the President for approval. This is the final step in the legislative process. If the President approves the bill, they will sign it and it becomes law. The President may also choose not to take any action for 10 days while Congress is in session, in which case the bill will automatically become law.

However, if the President opposes the bill, they can veto it. If this happens, Congress may attempt to override the veto. If both the Senate and the House pass the bill with a two-thirds majority, the President's veto will be overridden, and the bill will become law.

If the President does not sign off on a bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This is known as a "pocket veto" and cannot be overridden by Congress.

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