Understanding The Legislative Process: Bills To Laws

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, and only a small percentage of bills are successful. In the US, all laws begin as bills, which must be approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President. The number of bills that become law varies from year to year, but between 2017 and 2019, the 115th Congress turned 443 out of over 10,000 bills into laws – roughly 4.5%.

The process begins with an idea, which can come from a Representative or citizen. If a Representative agrees with the idea, they will research it and write it into a bill. The bill then needs a sponsor and the support of other Representatives before it can be introduced. Once introduced, it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk, and assigned a number. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and it is sent to a committee for review, research, and revision. If the committee approves the bill, it is sent back to the House floor for debate and a vote. If the bill passes in the House, it is sent to the Senate, where it goes through many of the same steps. If the Senate approves the bill, it is sent to the President, who can sign and pass it, veto it, or do nothing (pocket veto). If the President vetoes the bill, it is sent back to the House, where another vote can be held to override the veto. If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate and is approved by the President, or if a presidential veto is overridden, the bill becomes a law.

Bills must be approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, with many steps and requirements. In the United States, for a bill to become a law, it must be approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President. This is a crucial aspect of law-making in the country, and it is the most important job of the House of Representatives.

The journey of a bill begins with an idea. These ideas can come from a variety of sources, including citizens, the President, members of Congress, and even ordinary citizens. Once an idea is formed, it needs a sponsor and the support of other Representatives. The bill is then introduced in the House of Representatives, where it is placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk.

After being introduced, the bill goes through several stages in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. These stages include committee consideration, floor debate, and conference committees. During committee consideration, the bill is sent to a relevant standing committee, such as the Agriculture Committee or the House Ways and Means Committee, depending on the subject matter. Most bills are then sent to a subcommittee, where they may be revised or forgotten. If a bill survives this stage, hearings are set up, and experts, government officials, or lobbyists present their views.

The next stage is floor debate, which differs between the House and the Senate. In the House, a bill goes to a special Rules Committee that sets time limits on debate and rules for adding amendments. On the other hand, the Senate allows looser rules, with no restrictions on amendments, which can lead to filibusters.

If a bill passes the first two stages, it may still need to go to a conference committee if it is controversial, important, or complex. This committee merges the House and Senate versions of the bill, creating a compromise. The revised bill then goes back to the floors of each house for another vote.

Finally, for a bill to become a law, it must be signed by the President. The President has several options: they can sign and pass the bill, veto it, or do nothing (pocket veto). If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can hold another vote, and if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

The percentage of bills that become laws varies from year to year. For example, during the 115th Congress (2017-2019), approximately 4.5% of bills became laws. The number of bills introduced and passed into law changes annually, and there are no minimum or maximum limits. The process is designed to be lengthy and challenging, ensuring that laws are well-considered and deliberate.

Bills can be proposed by citizens, the President, or members of Congress

Bills, which are the precursors to laws, can be proposed by citizens, the President, or members of Congress. In fact, anyone can write a bill, but only members of Congress can introduce legislation. This means that citizens who have ideas for laws must contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

Some important bills are traditionally introduced at the request of the President, such as the annual federal budget. The President can also propose bills independently. However, it is worth noting that during the legislative process, the initial bill can undergo drastic changes.

Once a bill has been introduced to Congress, it is referred to the appropriate committee for review. There are 17 Senate committees, with 70 subcommittees, and 23 House committees, with 104 subcommittees. The committees are not set in stone, but 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 specialized 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. 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 they can compel people to appear using subpoena power if necessary.

Bills can be killed before they become law

Most bills die in the committee stage, where they are pigeonholed or simply forgotten and never discussed. If a bill survives committee, it goes to the floor for debate. In the House, a bill goes from committee to a special Rules Committee that sets time limits on debate and rules for adding amendments. The Rules Committee may impose a "gag rule" by setting short time limits and not allowing any amendments from the floor. In the Senate, rules for debate are much looser, and there are no restrictions on amendments.

If a bill passes the first two stages, it may still need to go to a conference committee if the two houses cannot agree on alterations. A conference committee is formed to merge two versions of a bill when the House and Senate cannot readily agree on alterations. The revised bill then must go back to the floors of each house and be passed by both houses before it can be sent to the President for signing.

Bills must pass committee consideration

The committee stage is one of the most important phases of the legislative process. Committees provide the most intensive consideration of a proposed measure and are a forum for the public to be heard. There are 20 standing committees in the House and 16 in the Senate, as well as several select committees. Each committee's jurisdiction is defined by certain subject matter areas. For example, the Committee on the Judiciary in the House has jurisdiction over measures relating to judicial proceedings, immigration policy, bankruptcy, patents, copyrights, and trademarks.

When a bill reaches the committee, the committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members want 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.

Most bills die in committee or subcommittee, where they are pigeonholed or simply forgotten and never discussed. If a bill survives, hearings are set up in which various experts, government officials, or lobbyists present their points of view to committee members. After the hearings, the bill is marked up or revised until the committee is ready to send it to the floor.

Bills must pass floor debate

Once a bill has been reported by a committee, it is sent to the floor of the House of Representatives for debate. This is the first time that the full House of Representatives will have discussed the bill.

The bill is debated by the House of Representatives, with Representatives discussing the bill and explaining why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and 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 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 asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then asks those who oppose the bill to do the same. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, and can vote yes, no, or present if they don't 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. If the bill does not receive a majority of votes, it fails and is not sent to the Senate.

The process of floor debate and voting is an important part of the legislative process, as it allows Representatives to discuss and amend the bill before it is sent to the Senate. It also ensures that the bill has the support of a majority of Representatives before it moves forward in the legislative process.

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