A High Number Of Federal Bills: How Many Become Law?

Bills are proposed pieces of legislation that may or may not become law. In the US, a bill must be approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President to become law. The process begins when a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate proposes a bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee, which researches, discusses, and makes changes to the bill. If the bill 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. If it passes, they present it to the president, who can approve the bill and sign it into law or veto it. If the president chooses to veto a bill, 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, which is called a pocket veto.

The process of a bill becoming a law

After the bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee. Both the House and the Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members with particular interests. The committee examines the bill and determines its chances of passage by Congress. The committee may hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications, allowing for the views of experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents to be heard. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

The bill then goes through a subcommittee review, where subcommittees—which are organised under committees and have further specialisation on a certain topic—may make changes to the bill. Once hearings and subcommittee reviews are complete, the committee will meet to make changes and amendments to the bill before recommending it to the "floor". If the committee votes against reporting the legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If they vote in favour of it, it is reported to the floor.

Once 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' voting. When the House or Senate passes a bill, it is referred to the other chamber, where it goes through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must reconcile 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 may approve the bill and sign it into law, or they may refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the President chooses to veto a bill, 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 Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, which is called a "pocket veto", and it cannot be overridden by Congress.

The role of the House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the US Congress, the federal legislative branch. It is the starting point for most laws and is the only chamber that can initiate tax and revenue-related legislation.

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 House of Representatives or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to their Congressional representative. 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 the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes the House of Representatives, it goes to the Senate to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.

If the bill passes both chambers, 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. The president can then choose to approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the president chooses to veto, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.

The House of Representatives is composed of 435 members elected every two years from among the 50 states, apportioned according to their total populations. Each Representative has one vote.

The role of the Senate

The Senate is one of the two houses of Congress, the lawmaking branch of the federal government. It is composed of 100 Members, two from each state, elected by the people. The Senate has several unique functions and powers.

Firstly, the Senate has the role of advising and consenting to treaties and certain nominations by the President. For instance, a vote in each House is required to confirm the President's nomination for Vice-President. The Senate also sits as a court to try impeachments, with no impeached person able to be removed without a two-thirds vote of those Senators voting.

Secondly, the Senate is the only house that can draft legislation related to presidential nominations and treaties. While the House processes legislation through a majority vote, the Senate does so through deliberation and debate prior to voting.

Thirdly, the Senate plays a crucial role in the legislative process, which begins with a bill. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. A bill can be proposed by a sitting member of the Senate or House of Representatives, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill then goes through a process of research, discussion, changes, and voting in both houses of Congress. If a bill passes both houses, they must work out any differences between the two versions before presenting it to the President for approval.

The Senate's role in the legislative process is vital, as no proposal can become a law without consideration and approval by both Houses of Congress. This bicameral legislative system ensures that all sides are heard and given ample opportunity to make their views known, thus safeguarding the American democratic way of life.

The role of the President

The President plays a crucial role in the process of a federal bill becoming a law. Once a bill has been passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is presented to the President for approval. The President has three options:

• Sign and pass the bill: The President can approve the bill and sign it into law.
• Veto the bill: The President can refuse to approve the bill, known as a veto. The bill is then sent back to Congress, along with the President's reasons for the veto. Congress can then vote to override the veto, and if two-thirds of both the House and the Senate support the bill, it becomes a law despite the President's veto.
• Pocket veto: If Congress is in session, the President can choose to do nothing, and the bill will automatically become law after 10 days. However, if Congress is not in session, the bill will not become a law.

The President's role in the legislative process is significant as it allows for a check on the power of Congress. The President's approval is necessary for a bill to become a law, and they have the power to veto bills that they do not support. However, Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers, demonstrating the balance of powers between the executive and legislative branches.

The legislative process in the US

The legislative process begins when a bill is introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate by a Representative or Senator, who becomes the sponsor of the bill. The bill then undergoes a first reading, where the name of the bill is read out and a quick vote is taken to see if it will proceed. This is usually a formality, and most bills pass this stage.

Once a bill has passed the first reading, it is assigned to a committee for study and hearings. The committee will research, discuss, and make changes (amendments) to the bill. Hearings provide the opportunity for the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to air their views. After the hearings, the committee may meet to "'mark up'" the bill, making changes and amendments before recommending it to the full committee. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is effectively killed.

If the committee backs the bill, it will be reported out of the committee and enter the timetabling stage. The bill is then put on the calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended. If the bill passes by a simple majority, it moves to the other chamber (the Senate or the House of Representatives), where it goes through a similar process of committee review, research, discussion, changes, and voting.

Once the bill has passed both chambers, the two bodies must work out any differences between the two versions of the bill. A conference committee made up of members from both chambers is formed to reconcile the differences and create a single text. The resulting bill then returns to both chambers for final approval.

Finally, the bill is sent to the President for approval. The President has several options: they can sign the bill into law, take no action and allow it to become law after 10 days, veto the bill, or, if Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be pocket vetoed and will not become law. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. If the veto is overridden, the bill becomes law.

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