The Journey Of A Bill To Law In The City

Bills are proposed laws. They can be drafted by members of Congress, or by citizens and citizen groups who recommend new laws to their elected representatives. Once a bill is introduced, it 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 discrepancies between the two versions, before both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, it is presented to the president, who can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.

A bill is proposed by a representative or citizen

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 a legislative body or be proposed by citizens during their election campaign. Citizens with ideas for new laws can also contact their representatives to discuss their ideas. If the representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

In the United States, only members of the House of Representatives can introduce bills in the House. When a representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The representative talks with other representatives about the bill to get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some 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. A bill clerk assigns it a number, and a reading clerk reads the bill to all the representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

Committees are groups of representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee wants more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee, where it is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before being sent back to the committee for approval. Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent or reported to the House floor, where it is ready to be debated.

During the debate, representatives discuss the bill and explain their agreement or disagreement with it. A reading clerk 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 House: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. If a majority of representatives support the bill, it passes in the House and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the Senate.

The bill is introduced and assigned a number

In the case of the District of Columbia, a bill is introduced when a Council member, the Mayor, or a Charter independent agency files a written document with the Secretary to the Council. The document then becomes the property of the Council and is assigned a number.

At the city level, the term "ordinance" is used to refer to a city law. A proposed ordinance is simply called a proposed ordinance. Once an ordinance is approved, it is organised as part of the city's Municipal Code, with various chapters and sections.

The bill goes to committee

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. The committee is made up of groups of representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. The committee may make whatever changes it chooses to the bill. If the committee decides that it wants the bill to become law, it will vote the bill out of the committee and prepare it for consideration by the full legislative body.

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. While in subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval. A committee will hold a "mark-up" session during which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" that will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the full legislative body. 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 reported and debated

Once a bill has been approved by the committee, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. At this stage, the bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. During the debate, 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. The Representatives can also request comments about the bill's merit from government agencies. The bill can also be assigned to a subcommittee by the Chairman. Hearings may be held, and subcommittees report their findings to the full committee. The committee will then hold a "mark-up" session to make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" which will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded.

The chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote. 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 introduced and assigned to a committee, it is then reported to the House floor to be voted on. In the US House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill: viva voce, division, and recorded. In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives to say "aye" or "no" to show their support or opposition to the bill. In a division, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives to stand up and be counted. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system. If a majority of Representatives vote "yes", the bill passes in the House of Representatives and is then sent to the Senate.

The process is similar in the Senate, where the bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor for a vote. 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 Senate and is then sent to the President.

When a bill reaches the President, they have three options. They can sign and pass the bill, in which case it becomes a law. They can refuse to sign or veto the bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives with their reasons for the veto. Or they can do nothing, which is called a pocket veto. If Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law after 10 days of inaction by the President. However, if Congress is not in session, the bill will not become a law.

If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can still override the veto and pass the bill into law. In most cases, a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is required to override a presidential veto.

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