Cameron Miranda
The process of a bill becoming a law in the United States is a lengthy one. First, a bill is proposed by a member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or by a citizen. The bill then needs a sponsor and the support of other members of the House of Representatives. Once it has enough support, it is introduced by being 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. and a reading clerk reads the bill to all the Representatives. The Speaker of the House then sends the bill to one of the House standing committees. The committee members review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee members would like more information, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent to the House floor to be debated and voted on. If the bill passes in the House of Representatives, it moves to the Senate, where it goes through many of the same steps. Finally, a conference committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The resulting bill 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 a bill has passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How does a bill become a law? | There are 9 steps a bill goes through before becoming a law. |
| Who can propose a bill? | Any member of Congress – either from the Senate or the House of Representatives. |
| Who drafts the bill? | The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors". |
| Where is the bill 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. |
| What happens after the bill is introduced? | Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. |
| What is the next step after the committee reviews the bill? | The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. |
| What happens once both bodies vote to accept a bill? | 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. |
| What happens when the bill reaches the President? | The president then considers the bill. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve a bill (veto). If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law. |
| What is a pocket veto? | 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 action is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress. |
What You'll Learn
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, or it can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to their Congressional representative. Once a bill has been drafted, it needs a sponsor. The sponsor is the primary Congress member supporting the bill, and other members who support it are called co-sponsors. The sponsor will then talk to other Representatives about the bill to try and get their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some 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. 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.
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 health or international affairs. The committee may choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill and gather the views of experts, supporters, and opponents of the bill. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead".
If the committee wants more information before deciding whether to send the bill back to the House floor, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. A subcommittee has further specialisation on a certain topic and often makes changes to the bill. The subcommittee must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.
When the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They 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. If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor.
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The bill is introduced
When a bill is introduced in the House, 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 bill is then discussed in a Senate committee and reported to the Senate floor to be voted on. Senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say "yea," and those who oppose it say "nay." If a majority of the Senators say "yea," the bill passes in the Senate and is ready to go to the President.
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The bill goes to committee
Once 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 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 Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. Most often, the actual referral decision is made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. Bills may be referred to more than one committee and it may be split so that parts are sent to different committees. One of those committees will be designated the primary committee of jurisdiction and will likely take the lead on any action that may occur.
Committees can 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 legislation to be put on record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead". Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on a certain topic. Often, committees refer bills to a subcommittee for study and hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.
When the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to "mark up" the bill. They make 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. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported". After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.
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The bill is reported
Once a bill has been approved by a committee, it is sent to the House floor to be debated. This is when a bill is reported.
When a bill is reported, Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. A reading clerk then reads the bill section by section, and Representatives recommend changes. Once all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be 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 to 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 vote "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.
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The bill is voted on
Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and debated, it is ready to be 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.
The process is similar in the Senate, except that Senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say "yea," and those who oppose it say "nay." If a majority of the Senators say "yea," the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.
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Frequently asked questions
A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law.
A bill must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. The bill is first introduced in the House of Representatives, where it is assigned to a committee for study and revision. If the committee approves, the bill is sent to the House floor for debate and voting. If the bill passes with a simple majority, it moves to the Senate. In the Senate, the bill goes through a similar process of committee review, debate, and voting. If the bill passes in the Senate, a conference committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval. The President then has the option to sign the bill into law, veto it, or do nothing (pocket veto). If the President chooses to veto, Congress can vote to override the veto and the bill becomes a law.
If a bill does not pass in both the House and the Senate, it does not become a law. The bill may be revised and reintroduced, or the legislative process may end.
