Understanding The Process: Bill To Law

In the United States, a bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. The process of a bill becoming a law involves several steps and requires approval from the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. The journey of a bill to become a law is a complex and lengthy procedure, and in this response, we will outline the key steps involved in this process.

A bill is proposed

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

Once an idea for a bill has been formulated, it must be drafted. Any member of Congress can draft a bill, and these ideas can come from the members themselves or from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor", and other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". The bill is then introduced. If a Representative is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the House. If a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate. Once introduced, the bill is given a legislative number and can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

After 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, agriculture, education, 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 bill's implications and gather expert opinions. 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, it is considered "dead".

Committees may refer bills to a subcommittee for further study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer it back to the full committee. When the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill, making changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the "floor". If a committee votes not to report legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor.

A bill is introduced

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, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once an idea has been developed, it is submitted to the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel in the form of a bill request. The bill drafting attorney then reviews existing law, researches the issues, and prepares the bill in the proper technical form. The bill is also given a number.

Once a bill is drafted, it must be introduced. If a Representative is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the House. If a Senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate. Only Representatives can introduce bills 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. A bill clerk then 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.

The bill is introduced into the Legislature and referred to the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee recommends to the presiding officer the standing committee to which the bill should be referred. The standing committee, in an open meeting, reviews the bill and receives public testimony. The committee may amend, hold, table, substitute, or make a favorable recommendation on the bill.

The bill is then returned to the full House with a committee report. The committee reports the bill out favorably, favorably with amendments, substituted, or that the bill has been tabled. During floor debate, the bill can be amended or substituted. It can also be held (circled).

A bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are composed of groups of members of Congress who have a particular interest in a given topic, such as health or international affairs. The committee will review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. Committee members might also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing the views of experts, public officials, supporters, and opponents to be recorded.

If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead". If the committee approves a bill, it is sent to the House floor, where it can be debated by the House of Representatives. At this point, representatives can discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it.

If the committee members would like more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. A subcommittee will closely examine the bill and gather expert opinions before sending it back to the committee for approval. Subcommittees are specialist groups organised under committees. They often hold their own hearings and can make changes to the bill. The subcommittee must vote to refer a bill 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 before recommending the bill to the "floor". If the committee votes against reporting legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

A bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and marked up, it is put before the chamber to be voted on. In the US House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. In viva voce, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives to say "aye" if they support the bill and "no" if they oppose it. In division, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system, and can vote yes, no, or present if they don't want to vote on the bill. A majority vote is required for the bill to pass in the House of Representatives.

In the US Senate, Senators vote by voice, saying "yea" if they support the bill and "nay" if they oppose it. A majority of Senators must say "yea" for the bill to pass in the Senate.

If a bill passes in 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. Then, both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the President.

A bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President. At this stage, the President has three options: they can sign the bill into law, refuse to sign it and veto the bill, or do nothing.

If the President approves of the bill, they will sign it, and it becomes law. If they do not approve, they can veto it, sending it back to the House of Representatives with their reasons for the veto. If the President takes no action for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill will automatically pass and become law. However, if Congress is not in session and no action is taken, the bill will be pocket vetoed, meaning it will not become law and cannot be overridden by Congress.

If the President vetoes a bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto will be overridden, and the bill will become a law.

The President's role in this process is crucial, as it is the final stage in the bill-to-law process. It is the President's duty to carefully consider the bill and decide whether it should become law or not.

Frequently asked questions