The Bill's Journey: A Song's Legal Story

I'm Just a Bill is a song from the 1976 Schoolhouse Rock! series that teaches the process of how a bill becomes a law in the United States. The song, written by Dave Frishberg and performed by Jack Sheldon, presents the legislative journey from the perspective of a bill, highlighting the challenges it faces in becoming a law. The song has been featured and parodied in various media, leaving a lasting impact on popular culture and providing a fun way to learn about the legislative process.

The journey to Capitol Hill

The bill's next stop is the committee stage, where it can get stuck for a long time. Here, a few key Congressmen discuss and debate the bill's merits and whether it should be allowed to proceed. Most bills do not make it past this stage. If the committee decides in favour of the bill, it will be reported on favourably, and the bill will move on to the next stage. Otherwise, the bill may die in committee.

Assuming the bill survives the committee stage, it will then go to the House of Representatives, where it will be put to a vote. If the House votes yes, the bill will then go to the Senate, where the whole process starts all over again. The bill will be considered by a committee in the Senate, and if it is approved, it will be voted on by the Senators.

The committee stage

The "I'm Just a Bill" song from the Schoolhouse Rock! series outlines the process of how a bill becomes a law in the United States. The song is about a bill that hopes to become a law mandating that school buses must stop at railroad crossings.

Now, onto the committee stage in detail:

After 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 specific interests, such as health or international affairs. The bill is carefully examined by the committee, and its chances of passage by Congress are determined. The committee may hold hearings and invite experts, public officials, and supporters and opponents of the bill to provide their perspectives. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".

Subcommittees, which operate under committees and have further specialization in specific topics, may also review the bill, make changes, and vote to refer it back to the full committee. Once hearings and subcommittee reviews are completed, the committee will meet to make changes and amendments before recommending the bill to the "floor". If the committee votes against reporting the legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. However, if they vote in favour, it is reported to the floor, and this procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

The House of Representatives

The process of turning a bill into a law is a long and complex one, and the "I'm Just a Bill" song from the Schoolhouse Rock! series does a great job of breaking it down. In the song, the Bill explains the journey it has made so far:

> "I'm just a bill. Yes, I'm only a bill. And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill. Well, it's a long, long journey to the capital city. It's a long, long wait while I'm sitting in committee, but I know I'll be a law someday—at least I hope and pray that I will. But today I am still just a bill."

In the process of turning a bill into a law, the House plays a crucial role. Once a bill has been introduced and assigned to a committee for study, it is then put on a calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended. For the bill to pass in the House, it needs a simple majority of 218 out of 435 votes. If the bill passes this stage, it moves on to the Senate, where the process starts again with a different committee.

The Senate

The legislative process begins with a representative sponsoring a bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee for study in the House of Representatives. If released by the committee, the bill is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated or amended. If the bill passes by a simple majority, it moves on to the Senate.

In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, is debated and voted on. A simple majority is required for the bill to pass in the Senate. If the bill passes, a conference committee, made up of members from both the House and the Senate, works to reconcile any differences between the two versions of the bill.

The bill then returns to the House and Senate for final approval. The Government Publishing Office prints the revised bill in a process called enrolling. The President then has 10 days to sign or veto the enrolled bill. If the President chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, 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, a process called a pocket veto, which cannot be overridden by Congress.

The President's veto

For a veto override to be successful, two-thirds of the members present in the originating chamber must vote in favour of passing the bill. If this occurs, the bill, along with the President's objections, is sent to the other chamber for a similar reconsideration process. If two-thirds of the members in the second chamber also vote to override the veto, the bill becomes a law, despite the President's disapproval.

A successful override of a presidential veto is a rare occurrence. The veto power of the President serves as a critical check and balance in the legislative process, ensuring that laws are thoroughly vetted and scrutinized before being enacted. It provides an opportunity for the President to express their concerns and for Congress to reconsider the legislation.

In certain circumstances, a pocket veto can occur. If Congress adjourns before the ten-day review period is up and the President has not signed the bill, the bill is effectively vetoed and cannot be overridden by Congress. In this case, if legislators still want to pursue the legislation, they must restart the entire legislative process from the beginning.

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