Who Votes On Bills To Become Laws?

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, with many steps and opportunities for the bill to be amended or rejected. In the US, the legislative branch of the government is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. Any member of Congress can introduce a bill, which is then assigned to a committee for study. If the committee approves the bill, it is sent to the floor of the House or Senate, where it is debated and voted on. If the bill passes in one chamber of Congress, it goes to the other chamber to go through a similar process. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions, before 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 a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law.

Who can introduce a bill?

In the United States, the legislative branch of the federal government is responsible for making laws. This branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress.

Any member of the House of Representatives can introduce a bill at any time while the House is in session. This can be done by simply placing the bill in the "hopper" at the side of the Clerk's desk in the House Chamber. The sponsor's signature must appear on the bill, and it is then assigned a legislative number by the Clerk. A public bill can have an unlimited number of co-sponsors.

The bill is then referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker, with the assistance of the Parliamentarian. Each piece of legislation is referred to the committee that has jurisdiction over the area affected by the bill. The committees provide the most intensive consideration of a proposed bill and are also the forum where the public is given the opportunity to be heard.

Once the committee has finished its review, the bill is put before the chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes in the House, it then goes through a similar process in the Senate. If it passes in the Senate, a conference committee made up of members from both chambers works out any differences between the two versions. The resulting bill then returns to the House and Senate for final approval.

What happens after a bill is introduced?

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned a number and sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO), where copies are made. The bill is then assigned to a committee, whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may also hold hearings and request comments about the bill's merit from government agencies. If the committee releases the bill, it is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended. If the bill passes by a simple majority, it moves to the other body of Congress (the House or the Senate), where it goes through a similar process.

Once the bill has passed both bodies of Congress, the two versions of the bill must be reconciled. A conference committee, made up of members from each house, works out the differences between the two versions. The resulting bill then returns to both houses for final approval. After this, the bill is sent to the President, who has 10 days to sign or veto it. If the President chooses to veto the bill, Congress can vote to override the veto, and the bill becomes a law. If the President does not sign the bill and Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default, in what is known as a "pocket veto".

What is the role of committees?

The role of committees in the US legislative process is to provide intensive consideration of a proposed bill and to give the public an opportunity to be heard. Committees are assigned to bills based on their specific policy area, and they have the power to research, discuss, make changes, and vote on bills.

Once a bill is introduced, it is referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. The actual referral decision is often made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. Bills may be referred to multiple committees, and the Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees.

Committees can also assign bills to subcommittees, which can accept, amend, or reject them entirely. If a subcommittee agrees to move a bill forward, it is reported to the full committee, where the process is repeated. Throughout this stage, committees and subcommittees call hearings to investigate the merits and flaws of the bill, inviting experts, advocates, and opponents to provide testimony.

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. The committee staff then prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments adopted. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

In the House, most bills go to the Rules Committee, which adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes.

Committees play a crucial role in the legislative process, providing detailed analysis, discussion, and revisions to proposed bills before they are voted on by the full House or Senate.

What happens after a bill is reported?

Once a bill has been reported by a committee, it is assigned to a calendar for action by the larger body. The committee staff then prepares a written report explaining why they favour the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill may write a dissenting opinion within the report. The report is then sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

In the House, most bills go to the Rules Committee before reaching the floor. The committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes.

The bill is then placed on one of four House Calendars, usually in the order they are reported, although they don't usually come to the floor in this order. Some bills never reach the floor at all. The Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader decide what will reach the floor and when.

The bill is then voted on. If passed, it is sent to the other chamber unless that chamber already has a similar measure under consideration. If either chamber does not pass the bill, then it dies. If both pass the same bill, it is sent to the President. If different bills are passed, they are sent to a Conference Committee.

What happens if the House and Senate pass different bills?

In the US, the lawmaking branch of the federal government is Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The process of making a law starts with a representative sponsoring a bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee for study and, if released by the committee, is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated or amended. If the bill passes by a simple majority, it moves to the Senate, where the process is repeated. If it passes in the Senate, a conference committee made of House and Senate members works to reconcile the two versions of the bill. The revised bill is then sent back to both chambers for a final approval vote.

If the House and Senate pass different bills, they are sent to what is known as a Conference Committee. This committee is usually made up of senior members from each house, appointed by the presiding officers of the committee that originally dealt with the bill. The representatives from each chamber advocate for their respective versions of the bill. If the Conference Committee reaches a compromise, it prepares a written report, which is submitted to each chamber for approval.

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.

The president can approve the bill and sign it into law within 10 days, or they can 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 it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.

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