The Long Road: Bills To Laws

The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complex one, with many opportunities for the bill to be rejected or amended. The US Constitution states that all legislative powers are vested in Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The legislative process is designed to be a safeguard of American democracy, allowing all sides to be heard and considered.

A bill can be proposed by a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate, or by citizens and interest groups. Once proposed, a bill needs a sponsor and the support of other members. It is then introduced, or placed in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. A bill is assigned a number and a sponsor's name, and copies are made.

The bill is then referred to a committee, which reviews, researches, and revises it. A committee may send a bill to a subcommittee for further examination and expert opinions. If the committee approves a bill, it is reported to the House floor, where it is debated and changes are recommended. The bill is then voted on.

If a bill passes in the House of Representatives, it goes through a similar process in the Senate. If it passes in the Senate, the two chambers must work out any differences between the two versions. The bill is then presented to the President, who can choose to approve it and sign it into law, or veto it. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can vote to override the veto, and the bill becomes a law.

However, the majority of bills do not become laws. Bills can be killed at any of the many stages of the legislative process. Most bills die in committee or subcommittee, where they may be forgotten or deliberately ignored. Even if a bill passes in both chambers of Congress, the President's veto power provides another opportunity for the bill to be rejected.

Bills must be approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President

The legislative process in the United States is a complex one, with many steps and requirements for a bill to become a law. The journey of a bill to becoming a law involves the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President. Here is a detailed overview of the role of these institutions in the legislative process:

The House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is the starting point for most laws, as the majority of laws originate in this chamber. A bill is introduced in the House when a Representative places it in the hopper, a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. The bill then gets assigned a number that begins with "H.R." and is read to all the Representatives by a reading clerk. After this, the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House's standing committees.

The committees in the House are groups of Representatives with expertise in specific topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill and can also send it to a subcommittee for further examination and expert opinions. If the committee approves the bill, it is sent back to the House floor, where Representatives debate and discuss the bill, explaining their agreement or disagreement. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and Representatives recommend changes. Once all the changes are made, the bill is ready for a vote.

The House offers three methods for voting on a bill: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded vote. In a voice vote, Representatives express their support or opposition verbally. In a division vote, Representatives physically stand up and are counted. In a recorded vote, Representatives use an electronic voting system to cast their vote. If the bill passes in the House, it is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the Senate.

The Senate

When a bill reaches the Senate, it goes through similar steps as in the House. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor for a vote. Senators can vote by voice, with supporters saying "yea" and opponents saying "nay." If the bill passes in the Senate, it is ready to be sent to the President.

The President

The President has three options when a bill reaches their desk. They can choose to sign and pass the bill, in which case it becomes a law. Alternatively, they can refuse to sign or veto the bill, sending it back to the House with their reasons for the veto. If the House and the Senate still support the bill, they can hold another vote, and if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators back the bill, the President's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

The President also has the option to do nothing, which is known as a "pocket veto." If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes a law after ten days. However, if Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

Bills can be introduced by any member of Congress

The Bill Goes to Committee

When the bill reaches the committee, the committee members—groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations—review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send the bill back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information before deciding if the bill should be sent to the House floor, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. While in the subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

The Bill Is Reported

When the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. When a bill is debated, Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Then, a reading clerk reads the bill section by section and the Representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

The Bill Is Voted On

There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives:

• Viva Voce (voice vote): The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it say "no."
• Division: The Speaker of the House asks those Representatives who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to stand up and be counted.
• Recorded: Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system. Representatives can vote yes, no, or present (if they don't want to vote on the bill).

If a majority of the Representatives say or select yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

Bills are assigned to committees for research, discussion, and changes

Once a bill reaches the committee, committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members want more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. In the subcommittee, the bill is closely examined and expert opinions are gathered before it is sent back to the committee for approval.

If the committee has approved a bill, it is sent, or reported, to the House floor. A committee will also hold a "mark-up" session, in which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill", which 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 committee staff then prepares a written report explaining why they favour the bill and why they wish to see their amendments adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill may write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.

Bills are then voted on by each chamber of Congress

Once a bill has been proposed, introduced, and gone through the committee stage, it is ready to be voted on by each chamber of Congress. In the U.S. House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill: viva voce (voice vote), division, and recorded. In a voice vote, the Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say "aye" and those that oppose it to say "no." In a division, the Speaker asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to do the same. In a recorded vote, Representatives record their vote electronically, selecting "yes," "no," or "present" if they don't want to vote. If a majority of the Representatives vote "yes," the bill passes in the House and is then sent to the U.S. Senate.

In the Senate, voting is done by voice. Senators who support the bill say "yea," and those who oppose it say "nay." If a majority of Senators vote "yea," the bill passes in the Senate and is then sent to the President.

The President can approve or veto the bill

The President has the power to approve or veto a bill. If the President approves the bill, it becomes a law. The President can also choose to veto the bill, which means it is sent back to the U.S. House of Representatives, along with the President's reasons for the veto. If the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on the bill. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law.

If the President does nothing, this is known as a "pocket veto". If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. However, if Congress is not in session, the bill does not become law.

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