In the United States, a bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. The process of turning a bill into a law involves several steps, including drafting, introduction, committee review, voting, and approval by the President. This journey from bill to law is a complex one, and it is important to understand the legislative process and the role of Congress in shaping the laws that govern the country.
Characteristics | Values |
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Where do ideas for bills come from? | Ideas for bills 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 people or citizen groups. |
What is the role of a sponsor? | A sponsor is the primary Congress member supporting the bill. The sponsor talks with other Representatives about the bill to get their support. |
What is the role of a co-sponsor? | A co-sponsor is any other member who supports the bill. |
What is the process for introducing a bill? | 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. |
What happens after a bill is introduced? | A bill clerk assigns it a number, a reading clerk reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees. |
What is the role of a committee? | Committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. |
What is the role of a subcommittee? | Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on a certain topic. They study the bill, hold hearings, and make changes before voting to refer it back to the full committee. |
What is "mark up" of the bill? | After hearings and subcommittee review, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill, making changes and amendments before recommending it to the "floor". |
What happens when the bill reaches the floor? | 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. |
What happens after the bill is passed by one body of Congress? | The bill goes to the other body (either the House or the Senate) to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. |
What happens after the bill is passed by both bodies of Congress? | A conference committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval. |
What happens after the bill is approved by both the House and the Senate? | The bill is sent to the President for consideration. |
What are the President's options? | The President can approve the bill and sign it into law, refuse to approve it (veto it), or do nothing (pocket veto). If the President chooses to veto the bill, in most cases Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law. |
What You'll Learn
A bill is drafted
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 who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.
The bill is then 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. Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation.
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 Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. When a bill is introduced, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.
The bill is then assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees are composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested in different topics such as health, agriculture, education, or international relations. When a bill is in the hands of the committee, it is carefully examined and its chances of passage by the entire Congress are determined. The committee may even choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".
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The bill is introduced
The committee to which the bill is assigned will depend on the topic of the bill. For example, a bill about Social Security will be sent to the House Committee on Ways and Means. Each committee oversees a specific policy area, and subcommittees take on more specialised topics. The committee will carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by Congress. Committees may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing the views of experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents to be put on the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".
If the committee members would like more information before deciding on the bill, it is sent to a subcommittee. The subcommittee will closely examine the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval. Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent to the House floor, where it is debated by the Representatives.
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The bill goes to committee
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. There are 17 Senate committees, with 70 subcommittees, and 23 House committees, with 104 subcommittees. The committees are not set in stone, but they do change in number and form with each new Congress as required for the efficient consideration of legislation. Each committee oversees a specific policy area, and the subcommittees take on more specialised policy areas. For example, the House Committee on Ways and Means includes subcommittees on Social Security and Trade.
A bill is first considered in a subcommittee, where it may be accepted, amended, or rejected entirely. If the members of the subcommittee agree to move a bill forward, it is reported to the full committee, where the process is repeated again. Throughout this stage of the process, the committees and subcommittees call hearings to investigate the merits and flaws of the bill. They invite experts, advocates, and opponents to appear before the committee and provide testimony, and can compel people to appear using subpoena power if necessary. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on record.
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 the subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval. If the full committee votes to approve the bill, it is reported to the floor of the House or Senate, and the majority party leadership decides when to place the bill on the calendar for consideration. If a bill is particularly pressing, it may be considered right away. Others may wait for months or never be scheduled at all.
When the bill reaches the committee, the committee members—groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations—review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send the bill back to the House floor. If a committee votes not to report 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".
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The bill is voted on
Once a bill has been introduced and assigned to a committee, it is then put to a vote. In the U.S. 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" if they support the bill and "no" if they oppose it. In a division vote, the Speaker of the House asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, selecting "yes," "no," or "present" if they do not want to vote on the bill. If a majority of Representatives vote "yes," the bill passes in the House of Representatives and is then sent to the Senate.
In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, is debated and voted on. Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. A simple majority (51 out of 100) is needed for the bill to pass in the Senate.
After the bill has passed in both the House and the Senate, a conference committee made up of members from both chambers works to resolve any differences between the two versions of the bill. The resulting bill is then sent back to both the House and the Senate for final approval.
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The bill is sent to the President
Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President for consideration. At this stage, the President has several options. If the President approves of the bill, they can sign it into law. If the President disagrees with the bill, they can veto it and send it back to Congress, outlining their reasons for doing so. If the President takes no action on the bill within 10 days and Congress is still in session, the bill will automatically become law. However, if Congress is not in session and the President does not sign the bill within 10 days, the bill will be pocket vetoed, meaning it will not become law and Congress will be unable to override this decision.
If the President vetoes a bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto by holding another vote. If two-thirds of both the House and the Senate support the bill, the President's veto will be overridden and the bill will become law.
The President's role in the legislative process is crucial, as they have the power to approve or reject bills that have been passed by Congress. While Congress can override a presidential veto, it requires a substantial majority in both chambers to do so. This system of checks and balances ensures that laws are carefully considered and have broad support before being enacted.
The process of a bill becoming a law in the United States involves multiple steps and the collaboration of different branches of government. It begins with the introduction of a bill, which can be proposed by a member of Congress or a citizen. The bill is then assigned to committees and subcommittees for review, debate, and potential amendments. After passing through both the House and the Senate, a bill is sent to the President for consideration, who has the power to sign it into law or veto it. In most cases, Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. This process ensures that laws are thoroughly vetted and reflect the interests of the people.
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Frequently asked questions
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 bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.
The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If it passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.
Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president.