How Proposed Legislation Becomes Law

when does proposed legislation become a law

The process of a bill becoming a law is a complex one, with many steps and potential setbacks. In the US, the legislative branch of the federal government is responsible for making laws. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the US 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 a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, who will research, discuss, and make changes to 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. 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. The president then has the power to approve the bill and sign it into law, or refuse to approve it, which is called a 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. 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, in what is known as a pocket veto, which cannot be overridden by Congress.

Characteristics	Values
Idea for bill	Can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives or be proposed during their election campaign
Proposal for bill	A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law
Introduction of bill	Once a bill is drafted, it is introduced in the House if a Representative is the sponsor, or in the Senate if a Senator is the sponsor
Committee assignment	A bill is then assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill
Committee vote	The committee may even choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor
Subcommittee review	Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialization on a certain topic. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee
Committee mark-up	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"
Voting by the full chamber	Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members voting
Referral of the bill to the other chamber	When the House or Senate passes a bill, it is referred to the other chamber, where it usually follows the same route through committees and finally to the floor
President's approval	After both the House and Senate have approved a bill in identical form, the bill is sent to the President. If the President approves of the legislation, it is signed and becomes law
Veto	If the President opposes the bill, they may veto the bill
Overriding a veto	If the President vetoes a bill, Congress may attempt to override the veto. If both the Senate and the House pass the bill by a two-thirds majority, the President's veto is overruled, and the bill becomes a law

What You'll Learn

A bill is drafted by a member of the House or Senate
The bill is introduced to the House or Senate
The bill is assigned to a committee
The bill is voted on by the chamber
The bill is sent to the other chamber

A bill is drafted by a member of the House or Senate

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 during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.

The process of drafting a bill is as follows:

Step 1: A member of the House or Senate drafts a bill

Any member of Congress—either from the Senate or the House of Representatives—who has an idea for a law can draft a bill. These ideas can come from the members of Congress themselves or from everyday citizens and advocacy groups. The primary member of Congress supporting the bill is called the "sponsor". Other members who support the bill are called "co-sponsors".

Step 2: The bill is introduced

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.

Step 3: The bill goes to committee

As soon as a bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee. 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.

Step 4: Subcommittee review of the bill

Subcommittees are organized under committees and have further specialisation 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.

Step 5: Committee mark-up of the bill

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 favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

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The bill is introduced to the House or Senate

The process of introducing a bill to the House or Senate is the second step in the legislative process. The first step involves a member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives drafting a bill. The bill is then introduced to either the House or Senate, depending on which member of Congress is sponsoring the bill.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. 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 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.

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The bill is assigned to a committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee. Committees are made up of groups of members of Congress who are particularly interested in different topics, such as health or international affairs. The committee will carefully examine the bill and determine its chances of passage by the entire Congress. 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".

Committees are allowed to refer bills to subcommittees for study and their own hearings. Subcommittees are organised under committees and have further specialisation on a certain topic. The subcommittee may make changes to the bill and must vote to refer a bill back to the full committee. Once 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 favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. This procedure is called "ordering a bill reported".

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The bill is voted on by the chamber

The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complex one. Once a bill has been introduced, it is assigned to a committee, who will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The committee may also hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill, allowing the views of experts, public officials, and supporters and opponents of the legislation to be put on record. Once the committee has finished its work, the bill is put before the chamber to be voted on.

The chamber will then debate and vote on the bill. If the bill passes by a simple majority, it moves to the other chamber, where it will go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. If the bill is amended in the second chamber, it will be sent back to the first chamber to be voted on again. Once both chambers have voted to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. A conference committee, made up of members from both chambers, will be formed to do this. The resulting bill then returns to both chambers for final approval.

The process of voting on a bill in a chamber is a detailed one. Once a bill has been introduced, any member of the chamber can offer amendments to it. The chamber will then debate and vote on the bill and any amendments. The chamber may also choose to hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. Hearings allow the views of the executive branch, experts, other public officials, and supporters and opponents of the legislation to be put on record. Once the hearings and debates are complete, the chamber will vote on the bill and any amendments. If the chamber votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor. If the chamber votes against the bill, it dies.

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The bill is sent to the other chamber

Once a bill has been passed by one chamber of Congress, it is referred to the other chamber, where it will go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. If the bill is introduced by a Representative, it will be introduced in the House. If a Senator is the sponsor, the bill will be introduced in the Senate.

The bill will then be assigned to a committee, where members will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The committee may also hold hearings to better understand the implications of the bill. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is considered "dead". If the committee votes in favour of the bill, it is reported to the floor.

Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate, and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members voting. If the bill is passed, it is referred to the other chamber, where it will go through the same process.