Few Bills, Fewer Laws: Congress' Legislative Output Explained

The process of turning a bill into a law is a complex one, and it's rare for a bill to become law without changes along the way. In the US, the lawmaking branch of the federal government is Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Anyone can write a bill, but only members of Congress can introduce legislation. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. 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. 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, and if it passes, they present it to the president. 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 chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, and Congress cannot override this action.

The role of the House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. The House is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. There are also six non-voting members, representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other US territories.

The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an Electoral College tie. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is third in the line of succession to the Presidency.

The House's legislative role is to introduce and pass bills, which are proposals for new laws or changes to existing laws. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the House, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by people or citizen groups. Once introduced, a bill is assigned to a committee, whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before the House to be voted on. If it passes, it goes to the Senate to go through a similar process. Once both chambers vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions, and then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, it is presented to the President.

The House has a very structured debate process, with each member who wishes to speak only having a few minutes, and the number and kind of amendments usually limited. Most bills fall under the jurisdiction of one committee, but if multiple committees are involved, each committee may work only on the portion of the bill under its jurisdiction. One of those committees will be designated the primary committee of jurisdiction and will likely take the lead on any action that may occur.

The role of the Senate

The Senate is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the federal government's legislative branch. It is composed of 100 Senators, two from each state, regardless of population or area. Senators are elected by the people of each state to serve six-year terms, with one-third of the Senate up for reelection every two years.

The Senate has several powers exclusive to it, including the power to confirm presidential appointments (except for the Vice President, which requires House approval), provide advice and consent to ratify treaties (except for those involving foreign trade, which also require House approval), and try impeachment cases for federal officials referred to it by the House.

In the lawmaking process, the Senate's role is equal to that of the House of Representatives. A bill may be introduced in either chamber and must pass both to become law. 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 differences between the two versions, after which both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, it is presented to the President for approval.

The Senate's lawmaking procedure differs from that of the House in several ways. While both chambers function equally, only the House can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation. The Senate is the only chamber with the power to draft legislation related to presidential nominations and treaties. Additionally, while the House processes legislation through a majority vote, the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting. Senators can use this to filibuster bills, delaying a vote by refusing to stand down. However, a supermajority of 60 Senators can break a filibuster and force a vote.

How a bill becomes a law

The process of turning a bill into a law is a long and complex one, with many steps and potential setbacks. Here is a detailed breakdown of the journey of a bill to becoming a law.

The Bill is Proposed and Introduced

The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Once a member of Congress has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The member of Congress will then discuss the bill with other members to gain their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some members of Congress, it is ready to be introduced. 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.

The Bill is Assigned to a Committee

Once introduced, the bill is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee members are groups of Representatives or Senators who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House or Senate floor. If the committee would like more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee, where it is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

The Bill is Reported and Voted On

When the committee has approved a bill, it is sent, or reported, back to the House or Senate floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the members of Congress. Representatives or Senators discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and the members of Congress recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

There are three methods for voting on a bill:

• Viva Voce (voice vote): The Speaker of the House or Senate asks those who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no."
• Division: 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.
• Recorded: Representatives or Senators record their vote using the electronic voting system, selecting yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote on the bill.

If a majority of the members of Congress vote yes, the bill passes in that chamber of Congress.

The Bill is Sent to the Other Chamber of Congress

Once a bill passes in one chamber of Congress, it is sent to the other chamber, where it goes through the same process of being assigned to a committee, reported, debated, and voted on.

The Bill is Sent to the President

If the bill passes in both chambers of Congress, it is sent to the President, who has three options:

• Sign and pass the bill—the bill becomes a law.
• Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill—the bill is sent back to Congress, along with the President's reasons for the veto.
• Do nothing (pocket veto)—if Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

The Bill Becomes a Law

If the President chooses to veto the bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. Once a bill is signed by the President or the veto is overridden by both chambers of Congress, it becomes a law and is assigned an official number.

The process of turning a bill into a law is a lengthy and complex one, with many potential setbacks and roadblocks. However, this process ensures that all proposed laws are thoroughly researched, discussed, and debated before becoming law.

The legislative process

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, or it can be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

The first step in the legislative process is the introduction of a bill to Congress. Anyone can write a bill, but only members of Congress can introduce legislation. Some important bills are traditionally introduced at the request of the President, such as the annual federal budget. During the legislative process, the initial bill can undergo drastic changes.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. 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, 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.

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 comes up for consideration, the House has a very structured debate process. Each member who wishes to speak only has a few minutes, and the number and kind of amendments are usually limited. In the Senate, debate on most bills is unlimited—Senators may speak to issues other than the bill under consideration during their speeches, and any amendment can be introduced. Senators can use this to filibuster bills under consideration, a procedure by which a Senator delays a vote on a bill—and by extension, its passage—by refusing to stand down. A supermajority of 60 Senators can break a filibuster by invoking cloture, or the cession of debate on the bill, and forcing a vote. Once debate is over, the votes of a simple majority pass the bill.

A bill must pass both houses of Congress before it goes to the President for consideration. Though the Constitution requires that the two bills have the exact same wording, this rarely happens in practice. To bring the bills into alignment, a Conference Committee is convened, consisting of members from both chambers. The members of the committee produce a conference report, intended as the final version of the bill. Each chamber then votes again to approve the conference report. Depending on where the bill originated, the final text is then enrolled by either the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate and presented to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate for their signatures. The bill is then sent to the President.

When receiving a bill from Congress, the President has several options. If the President agrees substantially with the bill, they may sign it into law, and the bill is then printed in the Statutes at Large. If the President believes the law to be bad policy, they may veto it and send it back to Congress. Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds vote of each chamber, at which point the bill becomes law and is printed.

There are two other options that the President may exercise. If Congress is in session and the President takes no action within 10 days, the bill becomes law. If Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the President takes no action, then the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is called a pocket veto, and if Congress still wants to pass the legislation, they must begin the entire process anew.

The president's role

If the President chooses to veto a bill, Congress can, in most cases, override this veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate, and the bill will become a law. However, if the President does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This is known as a "pocket veto" and cannot be overridden by Congress.

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