Gavin Howe
The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, and differs slightly between the House of Representatives and the Senate. In general, a bill is first drafted and introduced, before being assigned to a committee for review. It then goes through several stages of voting, during which it may be amended, before being passed to the President for approval.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| 1. Creation of a Bill | A member of the House or Senate drafts, sponsors and introduces a bill for consideration by Congress. |
| 2. Committee Action | A committee is assigned to study the bill according to its subject matter. The committee may refer the bill to a subcommittee, request reports, hold hearings, "mark up" or revise the bill, or report the legislation to the full committee for its consideration. |
| 3. Floor Action | The bill is returned to the full House or Senate for further debate and approval. Members may propose amendments to the bill, add additional text, or otherwise alter the bill. House and Senate members vote on their respective versions of the proposed bill. |
| 4. Conference Committees | A bill must be approved by both Chambers of Congress. When the Senate amends and agrees to a bill or a version of a bill that the House has already passed or when the House amends and passes a Senate bill or a version of a Senate bill, the two Chambers may begin to resolve any legislative differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill by way of a conference committee. The final compromise is embodied in a Conference Report that must be agreed to by both chambers before it is cleared for presidential consideration. |
| 5. Presidential Action | After the bill is passed by both Chambers it is sent to the President for his approval or his signature, which if granted creates a Public Law. When a President comments on and refuses to sign a bill it is known as a veto. A vetoed bill may return to Congress for reconsideration. If the President does not act within 10 days the bill automatically becomes law. If Congress adjourns during the 10 days after the bill is sent to the President and he does not sign it, the bill is automatically vetoed. This process is also known as a pocket veto. |
| 6. Creation of a Law | The Office of Federal Register assigns the Public Law a number and the Government Printing Office prints a copy of it. Laws are issued first in slip form or a single publication containing one law. Later it is organized in the order in which it was passed. Finally, it is codified into subject order so that all laws on the same topic fall together. |
Bill proposal
The process of a bill becoming a law begins with the proposal of a bill. 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, or be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to their member of Congress. Citizens can contact their representatives to discuss their ideas, and if the representatives agree, they will research and write the ideas into a bill.
Once a representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The representative will then discuss the bill with other representatives to gain their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of several representatives, it is ready to be introduced.
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. Only representatives can introduce bills in the House. A bill clerk then assigns it a number, beginning with H.R., and a reading clerk reads the bill to all representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to a House standing committee.
Committee Review
Committees are groups of representatives who are experts on specific topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee requires more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee for further examination and to gather expert opinions.
Reporting the Bill
Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent back to the House floor for debate. Representatives discuss the bill, explaining their agreement or disagreement. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and representatives recommend changes. Once all changes have been made, the bill is ready for a vote.
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Bill introduction
The process of a bill becoming a law begins with an idea. These ideas can come from a Representative, citizen, advocacy group, or even a sitting member of the U.S. Senate. Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills. Once a bill is drafted, it needs a sponsor. The Representative then talks with other Representatives about the bill in the hopes of getting their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.
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. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. 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.
The Process of a Bill Becoming a Law
Before a bill can become a law, it must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, the official government website that tracks federal legislation. As soon as a 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 in different topics such as health or international affairs. When a bill is with the committee, it is carefully examined, and its chances of passage by Congress are determined. The committee may even choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill.
The next steps include subcommittee review of the bill, committee mark-up of the bill, voting by the full chamber on the bill, referral of the bill to the other chamber, and the bill going to the President. If the President approves of the legislation, it is signed and becomes law. If the President takes no action for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law. If the President opposes the bill, they may veto it. In addition, if no action is taken for ten days and Congress has already adjourned, there is a "pocket veto", and the bill does not become law.
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Committee review
Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on specific topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations.
The committee will then review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee would like more information before making a decision, 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.
The committee may also 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 bill to be put on record. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".
Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent back to the House floor, where it is ready to be debated.
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Floor debate
Once a bill has been drafted, introduced, and gone through the committee stage, it is brought to the floor for debate. This is when lawmakers discuss a proposed law in front of everyone in a big room, instead of just a small group. They take turns giving speeches for or against the bill, and there are sometimes rules about how long they can talk or how many people can speak on each side.
In the Senate, floor debates can be limited by a time restriction, but sometimes the debate is extended beyond the limit. In the House, there are no rules to limit the debate, and Senators can effectively wage (or threaten to wage) a filibuster – insisting on extended debate to delay or prevent a final vote.
During the floor debate on the healthcare bill, for example, representatives from both parties gave speeches arguing for or against the proposed legislation. Floor debates are a formal process and the goal is to consider the merits of the proposed legislation and come to a decision on whether to pass it into law.
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Presidential approval
Once a bill has been passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is sent to the President for approval. The President has three options: they can sign the bill and pass it into law; they can veto the bill, sending it back to Congress with their reasons for doing so; or they can do nothing, in which case, if Congress remains in session, the bill will automatically become law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill will not become law. This last option is known as a 'pocket veto'.
If the President chooses to veto a bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto. If two-thirds of both the House and the Senate support the bill, the President's veto will be overridden and the bill will become 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, and this cannot be overridden by Congress.
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Frequently asked questions
The first step is the creation of a bill. 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, or be proposed by citizens or citizen groups.
The second step is the introduction of the bill. Once the 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.
The third step is the committee action. A committee is assigned to study the bill according to its subject matter. The committee may request reports, hold hearings, and make revisions to the bill.
The final step is presidential action. After the bill is passed by both Chambers of Congress, it is sent to the President for approval. The President can choose to sign and pass the bill, or veto it. If the President does nothing for 10 days while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law.
