The Votes Behind Bills Becoming Laws

The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complex one, with many steps and requirements along the way. In the United States, the lawmaking branch of the federal government is Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The process begins with the introduction of a bill, which can be done by any member of Congress. The bill is then assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. If the committee approves, the bill is then put before the relevant chamber of Congress to be voted on. If it passes one chamber, it goes to the other to go through the same process. If both chambers approve the bill, they must then work out any differences between their two versions. The bill is then voted on again by both chambers, and if it passes, it is sent to the President for review. 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 vetoes the bill, Congress can vote to override the veto, and if this happens, the bill becomes a law.

How a bill is introduced

The process of introducing a bill begins with an idea for a new law or a change to an existing law. Any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can introduce a bill, which is then assigned to a committee. In the House, legislation is handed to the clerk or placed in the hopper, while in the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If a senator objects, the introduction is postponed until the next day.

The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate then refers the bill to the appropriate committee, with the actual referral decision often made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. The bill is placed on the calendar of the committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may also hold hearings and request comments on the bill's merit from government agencies. The committee chairman can also assign the bill to a subcommittee for further review.

Once the subcommittee has reported its findings, the full committee will hold a "mark-up" session, where revisions and additions are made. If substantial amendments are made, the committee may order the introduction of a "clean bill" to include these amendments, which will have a new number and be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The committee then votes on whether to report the bill to the floor, and if it passes this stage, it is sent for a vote by the full chamber.

The role of committees

Committees play a crucial and intensive role in the legislative process. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee will also request comments about the bill's merit from government agencies. The bill can also be assigned to a subcommittee by the Chairman, which will then report its findings to the full committee.

The committee will then hold a "mark-up" session, where revisions and additions are made. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" that includes the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor, while the old bill is discarded.

In the House, most bills go to the Rules Committee, which 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:

• Members can move rules to be suspended (requires a two-thirds vote)
• A discharge petition can be filed
• The House can use a Calendar Wednesday procedure

In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, debated and voted on.

The bill is put to a vote

In the Senate, debate is unlimited unless cloture is invoked. Senators can speak for as long as they like and amendments do not need to be relevant to the bill. If cloture is invoked, debate is limited to 30 hours. Once debate is finished, the bill is voted on.

If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President. If either chamber does not pass the bill, it dies.

The bill is sent to the other chamber

Once a bill has been passed by one chamber of Congress, it is referred to the other chamber, where it will undergo a similar process of research, discussion, changes and voting. This chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it or change it.

If the bill is approved, it will then be sent to the President for review. However, if the bill is rejected, ignored or changed, Congress may form a conference committee to resolve or reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. This committee will be made up of members from both the House and the Senate. If the conference committee is unable to reach an agreement, the bill will die. If an agreement is reached, the committee members will prepare a conference report with recommendations for the final bill. Both the House and the Senate must then vote to approve this report.

The bill is sent to the president

Once a bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. The President can choose to approve the bill, in which case it becomes law. If the President does not approve, they can veto the bill, and it will only become law if two-thirds of both the House and the Senate vote to override the veto.

If the President does nothing for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill will automatically become law. However, if Congress has adjourned before the ten days are up, the bill will not become law. This is known as a "pocket veto" and cannot be overridden by Congress.

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