How Bills Become Laws: The Legislative Process Explained

The process of a bill becoming a law is a lengthy one, with many steps to be followed. It begins with a member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives proposing a bill, which is then introduced in Congress. The bill is then assigned to a committee, which studies and discusses it, making changes if necessary. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If it passes, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions and vote on the same version. If it passes, they present it to the president for approval. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or veto it. If the president chooses to veto, Congress can vote to override the veto and the bill becomes a law.

A bill is drafted

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, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress.

Once an idea for a bill has been formulated, it is drafted. Any member of Congress – either from the Senate or the House of Representatives – can draft a bill. These ideas come from the Congress members themselves or from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". The other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors".

In the UK, draft bills are issued for consultation before being formally introduced to Parliament. This allows proposed changes to be made before the bill's formal introduction. Draft bills are usually examined by select committees in the Commons or Lords, or by a joint committee of both Houses. The consultation process may involve the government issuing a paper for public discussion and response, such as a White or Green Paper.

After a bill is drafted, it is 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. Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, which is the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

In the US, once a bill is introduced, it is assigned a number (e.g. HR 1 or S 1) and labelled with the sponsor's name. It is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made. The bill is then assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.

A bill is introduced

The bill is then assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may be made up of groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. The committee will 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 before deciding, 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. Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent or reported to the House floor.

Once a bill is introduced, it can be found on Congress.gov, which is the official government website that tracks federal legislation.

A bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Both the House and the 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 committee may even choose to 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 the record. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

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. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it. Bills in the House can only be released from the committee without a proper committee vote by a discharge petition signed by a majority of the House membership (218 members).

The bill can be assigned to a subcommittee by the Chairman. Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on a certain topic. Often, committees refer bills to a subcommittee for study and their own hearings. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee.

Subcommittees report their findings to the full committee. Finally, there is a vote by the full committee—the bill is "ordered to be reported". A committee will hold a "mark-up" session during 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 chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.

A bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is considered to be "dead".

After the committee stage, the bill is then put before the chamber 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.

A bill is sent to the President

Once a bill has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, it is sent to the President. At this stage, the President has three options:

• Sign and pass the bill—the bill becomes a law.
• Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill—the bill 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.
• Do nothing (pocket veto)—if Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

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