Understanding The Sources Of Bills Becoming Laws

Bills are proposed laws that can be introduced by any member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned a number and sent to a committee for review and research. The committee may make changes to the bill and vote on whether to send it back to the House or Senate floor. If the committee approves the bill, it is sent to the floor for debate and voted on. If the bill 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. The bill is then presented to the president, who can either approve it or veto it. If the president chooses to veto the bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law.

Bills can be proposed by members of the House of Representatives or the Senate

In the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and labelled with the sponsor's name. The bill is sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO), and copies are made. Senate bills can be jointly sponsored. Members can cosponsor the piece of legislation.

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. The right to petition is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Bills can also be proposed by citizens or advocacy groups

Advocacy groups can also propose bills by working with individual lawmakers and lawmaking bodies to gain support for their cause. This can involve anything from working personally with a legislator or aide on the wording of a bill, to mobilizing supporters to contact legislators about an issue. Advocacy groups can also educate legislators, the media, and the public about the issue; work with the media; and seek out allies.

Advocacy groups can also propose bills by lobbying. Lobbyists are people who are paid to convey information to lawmakers and try to convince them to vote in certain ways or pass or defeat certain laws. Lobbyists are generally very knowledgeable about the issues they're concerned with and are often called on to testify in legislative hearings.

It's important to note that there are some restrictions on who can lobby and how they can do it. For example, lobbyists must register and identify themselves as such, and they cannot try to bribe legislators or government officials.

Bills are introduced in the House or Senate and assigned a number

In the US 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. 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 Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any Senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. S 1).

The process of assigning a number to a bill is a crucial step in the legislative process, as it allows for easy identification and tracking of the bill as it moves through the various stages of becoming a law. The number assigned to a bill indicates the chamber in which it was introduced, with "H.R." denoting a bill introduced in the House of Representatives and "S." denoting a bill introduced in the Senate.

Once a bill is introduced and assigned a number, it is sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO), where copies are made. The bill is then labelled with the sponsor's name, and members can cosponsor the bill.

Bills are sent to committees for review and research

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee members are groups of representatives who are experts on specific topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, supporters, and opponents of the legislation to be put on record. Hearings allow the public to be given their opportunity to be heard.

If the committee wishes to conduct further research before deciding on the bill, it is sent to a subcommittee. The subcommittee will closely examine the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee.

Once the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They will make changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the "floor". If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

Bills are reported to the House or Senate floor for debate and voting

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned a number, and sent to the Government Printing Office to be copied, it is then sent to a committee. Committees are groups of Representatives or Senators who are experts on a particular topic, such as agriculture, education, or international relations. Committees 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 members would like more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee.

Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent, or reported, to the House or Senate floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated. During the debate, 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 Representatives or Senators 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 in the House: viva voce, division, and recorded. In a viva voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks those who support the bill to say "aye" and those who oppose it to say "no." 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 the electronic voting system, selecting "yes," "no," or "present" if they don't want to vote on the bill. If a majority of the Representatives vote "yes," the bill passes in the House and is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the Senate.

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