Cameron Miranda
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a proposal to change an existing law. It is the first step in the legislative process, which is the process of making a law. In the US, a bill must be approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President to become a law. In the UK, a bill must be approved by the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | The bill is drafted |
| Step 2 | The bill is introduced |
| Step 3 | The bill goes to committee |
| Step 4 | Subcommittee review of the bill |
| Step 5 | Committee mark up of the bill |
| Step 6 | Voting by the full chamber on the bill |
| Step 7 | Referral of the bill to the other chamber |
| Step 8 | The bill goes to the president |
| Step 9 | Overriding a veto |
What You'll Learn
A bill is proposed
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. Most bills are introduced into the House of Representatives and then sent to the Senate. They are usually proposed by government ministers, but other members of parliament can also introduce their own bills, known as private members' or private senators' bills. Bills may start in the Senate, but this is less common and only occurs with money and taxation bills.
Most bills are drafted by public servants on behalf of a minister and formally approved by the government before they are introduced into Parliament. The original ideas for government legislation can come from various sources, including party policy, suggestions by senators or members, community groups, or routine proposals from government departments.
When a minister wants to introduce a bill, they usually give written notice of their intention to do so. This is typically done for the next sitting day. In the House of Representatives, the minister lodges their written notice with the Clerk of the House, who adds the bill to the Notice Paper (the House's agenda of business). Notice is not necessary for bills that appropriate money or deal with taxation.
During the following day's business, the minister presents the bill, and the Clerk reads out its title, which is known as the first reading. This first reading is a formality, and no vote is taken.
The process for proposing a bill is similar in the Senate. The President announces the receipt of the message, and the Minister moves that the bill be read for the first time. If agreed, the Clerk reads out its title—the first reading.
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A bill is introduced
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 an election campaign, or be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. In the 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 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.
In the House, bills are referred by the Speaker to all committees that have jurisdiction over the provisions in the bill. Most bills fall under the jurisdiction of one committee. If multiple committees are involved and receive the bill, each committee may only work on the portion of the bill under its jurisdiction. One of those committees will be designated the primary committee with jurisdiction and will likely take the lead on any action that may occur.
In the Senate, bills are typically referred to a committee in a similar process, though almost always, the bill is referred to only the committee with jurisdiction over the issue that predominates in the bill. In a limited number of cases, a bill might not be referred to a committee but instead be placed directly on the Senate Calendar of Business through a series of procedural steps on the floor.
Committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before deciding, 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.
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A bill goes to committee
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of representatives or senators who are experts on specific topics, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House or Senate floor.
If the committee requires more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. A 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, or reported, to the House or Senate floor for debate. Representatives or senators will discuss the bill and explain their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with it.
After all the changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on. There are three methods for voting on a bill in the House of Representatives: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. In the Senate, senators vote by voice, saying "yea" to support the bill and "nay" to oppose it.
If a majority of representatives or senators vote in favour of the bill, it passes in the House or Senate and is then referred to the other chamber, where it will go through a similar process of committee review, debate, and voting.
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A bill is reported
Once a bill has been assigned to a committee, it is the committee's job to review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before deciding, 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.
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 U.S. House of Representatives.
When a bill is debated, Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Then, a reading clerk reads the bill section by section and the Representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.
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A bill is voted on
Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reported back to the House or Senate 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 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, and can vote "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 and is sent to the Senate.
In the Senate, the bill is voted on by voice. Senators who support the bill say "yea", and those who oppose it say "nay". If a majority of Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the Senate and is ready to be sent to the President. If the bill is passed by both the House and the Senate, it is then presented to the President.
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Frequently asked questions
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law.
Ideas for bills can come from anyone. A citizen with an idea for a bill can contact their representative to discuss it. If the representative agrees, they will research the idea and write it into a bill.
Once a bill is drafted, it must be 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 is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.
If the bill 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.
