Gavin Howe
The process of a bill becoming a law is a lengthy one. Any member of Congress can propose a bill, which is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. Once introduced, the bill is assigned to a committee, which researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If it passes, it goes to the other chamber, where it goes through a similar process. Once both bodies have voted to accept the bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. If the House and Senate pass the same bill, it is sent to the President, who can approve and sign it into law or veto it. If the President chooses to veto, Congress can vote to override the veto, and the bill becomes a law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who can introduce a bill? | Any member of Congress or everyday citizens and advocacy groups |
| What is the role of the sponsor? | The primary Congress member supporting the bill |
| What is the role of the co-sponsor? | Other members who support the bill |
| Where is the bill introduced? | The House or the Senate, depending on the sponsor |
| What happens after introduction? | The bill is referred to a committee |
| What does the committee do? | Examines the bill, determines its chances of passage, and may hold hearings |
| What happens if the committee does not act? | The bill is considered "dead" |
| What happens if the committee votes in favor of the bill? | It is reported to the floor |
| What happens on the floor? | Additional debate, voting on amendments, and voting to pass or defeat the bill |
| What happens if the bill passes one chamber of Congress? | It goes to the other chamber for a similar process |
| What happens if the House and Senate pass the same bill? | It is sent to the President |
| What happens if the House and Senate pass different bills? | They are sent to a Conference Committee |
| What happens if the President receives the bill? | The President can sign it into law, or veto it |
| What happens if the President vetoes the bill? | It is sent back to Congress, which can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in both chambers |
| When does a bill become a law? | When signed by the President or when a presidential veto is overridden by both chambers of Congress |
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What You'll Learn
- A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law
- Any member of Congress can draft a bill, which is then introduced
- The bill is assigned to a committee, who research and discuss it
- The committee votes on the bill, and if passed, it is reported to the floor
- The bill is then passed or defeated by the members voting
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members who are particularly interested in different topics such as health or international affairs. 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 and supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on the record.
If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported". 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. 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. If the House and Senate pass the same bill, then it is sent to the President. If the House and Senate pass different bills, they are sent to a Conference Committee. Most major legislation goes to a Conference Committee.
The President then considers the bill. The President can approve the bill and sign it into law. Or the President can refuse to approve a bill. This 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. But 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 action is called a "pocket veto", and it cannot be overridden by Congress. Once a bill is signed by the President, or the presidential veto is overridden by both the House and the Senate, it becomes a law and is assigned an official number.
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Any member of Congress can draft a bill, which is then introduced
The process of creating a bill begins with a member of Congress drafting a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. Any member of Congress can introduce a bill, but the text of the bill is often drafted by legislative aides working for members of Congress or congressional committees. The bill is then introduced in the House if a Representative is the sponsor, or in the Senate if a Senator sponsors it.
Once introduced, the bill is handed to the clerk of the House or placed in the hopper and assigned a number. The sponsor's name is also labelled on the bill. Members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the bill's introduction during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction is postponed until the following day.
After its introduction, the bill is referred to a committee. The committee will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees are composed of groups of Congress members with specific interests, such as health or international affairs. The committee may hold hearings to better understand the bill's implications and gather input from various stakeholders. If the committee does not act, the bill is considered "dead". However, if the committee votes in favour of the bill, it proceeds to the floor for further debate and voting.
If the bill passes one chamber of Congress, it moves to the other chamber, where it undergoes a similar process of committee review, debate, and voting. Once both chambers approve the bill, they must reconcile any differences between their versions. If they cannot reach an agreement, the bill dies. If they can agree, the bill is presented to the President for review and signature.
The President can approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If vetoed, Congress can attempt to override the veto by a two-thirds vote in both chambers. If the veto is overridden, the bill becomes law. If the President does not sign the bill and Congress adjourns before the 10-day review period ends, the bill is pocket vetoed and does not become law.
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The bill is assigned to a committee, who research and discuss it
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Both the House and Senate have various committees composed of groups of Congress members with a particular interest in different topics, such as health or international affairs. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. However, the actual referral decision is usually made by the House or Senate parliamentarian.
Bills may be referred to more than one committee and they may be split so that parts are sent to different committees. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it. Bills in the House can only be released from committee without a committee vote by a discharge petition signed by a majority of the House membership (218 members).
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 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 record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered "dead". Subcommittees are organized under committees with further specialization on a certain topic. Committees often refer bills to a subcommittee for study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.
When the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to mark up the bill. They make changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the "floor". A committee will hold a mark-up session during which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" that will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The chamber must approve, change, or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote. After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report.
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The committee votes on the bill, and if passed, it is reported to the floor
The process of a bill becoming a law is a lengthy one. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees may hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing the views of experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents of the bill to be recorded.
When the hearings are completed, the committee will meet to mark up the bill, making changes and amendments before recommending the bill to the "floor". This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported". If a committee votes against reporting legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies.
The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor, where 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 usually follows the same route through committees and finally to the floor.
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The bill is then passed or defeated by the members voting
The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, with many steps and potential pitfalls. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which researches, discusses, and amends the bill. The committee may also hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather input from various stakeholders. If the committee does not act on the bill, it is considered dead.
If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor of the chamber, where it is debated and voted on by the members. At this stage, the bill can be passed or defeated by the members' voting. If the bill is passed by one body of Congress, it then goes through a similar process in the other body. This involves additional research, discussion, changes, and voting. If the bill is passed by both bodies, they must work together to reconcile any differences between the two versions and create a single bill.
The full chamber must then approve, change, or reject any committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote. Once the bill has passed both chambers, it is referred to as the "enrolled bill" and is sent to the President for review and signature. The President can choose to approve the bill and sign it into law or veto it. If the President vetoes the bill, it is sent back to Congress, which can attempt to override the veto by a two-thirds vote in both chambers. If the veto is overridden, the bill becomes a law. However, if Congress is not in session and the bill remains unsigned, it will be vetoed by default, known as a "pocket veto".
In summary, the process of a bill becoming a law involves introduction, committee review, voting by members of Congress, reconciliation of differences, final passage vote, presidential review, and potential veto override. At each step, the bill can be amended, defeated, or allowed to proceed to the next stage. The process ensures that laws are carefully considered and represent the interests of the people, as represented by their elected officials in Congress and the President.
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Frequently asked questions
Any member of Congress can draft a bill, which is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Once the bill is drafted, it must be introduced in the House or the Senate, depending on whether its sponsor is a Representative or a Senator. The bill is then referred to a committee, which examines and researches it, and determines its chances of passage by Congress. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor, where it is debated and voted on. If it passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body, where it goes through a similar process. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must reconcile any differences between the two versions. If the House and Senate pass the same bill, it is sent to the President for review. The President 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.
There is no definitive answer to this question, as the timeline for a bill to become a law can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the complexity of the bill, the level of support it receives, and the number of committees it is referred to. However, it is safe to say that the process generally takes several months, if not longer.
Yes, if the President does not sign off on a bill within 10 days and Congress is in session, the bill will become a law. Additionally, if the President vetoes a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill will become a law without the President's approval.
