The Journey Of Bills: Laws In The Making

The process of a bill becoming a law is known as the legislative process. In the United States, this process begins with the introduction of a bill, which is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. 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 citizen groups. Once introduced, a bill is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill is then put before the chamber to be voted on. If it passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions, after which both chambers vote on the same version. If it passes, it is presented to the president, who can approve and sign it into law or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law.

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, be proposed during their election campaign, or be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once a bill is drafted, it needs a sponsor. The member who came up with the idea for the bill talks to other members about it in the hopes of getting their support. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of other members, 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 members of the House of 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 members of the House, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

Committees are groups of members who are experts on specific topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether to send it back to the House floor. If the committee would like more information before deciding, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. The subcommittee examines the bill in detail and gathers expert opinions before sending it back to the committee. Once the committee has approved a bill, it is sent or reported to the House floor, where it is debated by the House of Representatives. 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.

A bill is introduced

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 citizen groups. Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

When a Representative has written a bill, it needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in the hopes of getting their support for it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the 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 U.S. House of Representatives.

When a bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, 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.

In the Senate, the bill is submitted to clerks on the Senate floor and is assigned a number (e.g. S 1). The bill is then sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and copies are made.

A bill goes to committee

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers the bill to the appropriate committee. The referral decision is usually made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. 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.

In the House, bills are referred to all committees that have jurisdiction over the provisions in the bill. Most bills fall under the jurisdiction of one committee. If multiple committees are involved, each committee will work on the portion of the bill under its jurisdiction. One of those committees will be designated the primary committee of jurisdiction and will lead on any action.

In the Senate, bills are usually referred to only one committee with jurisdiction over the issue that predominates in the bill. In rare cases, a bill might not be referred to a committee and instead be placed directly on the Senate Calendar of Business.

Committees are groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations. They review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether 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 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. A written report is prepared by the committee staff, explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, 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.

A bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced, assigned to a committee, and reported to the House floor, it is ready to be voted on. In the U.S. House of Representatives, there are three methods for voting on a bill: Viva Voce, Division, and Recorded. In a Viva Voce vote, the Speaker of the House asks Representatives to voice their support or opposition to the bill by saying "aye" or "no". In a Division vote, the Speaker of the House asks those who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then does the same for those who oppose it. In a Recorded vote, Representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system, and can vote "yes", "no", or "present" if they don't want to vote on the bill. If a majority of Representatives vote "yes", the bill passes in the House and is then sent to the Senate.

In the Senate, voting is done by voice, with supporters of the bill saying "yea" and opponents saying "nay". If a simple majority of Senators say "yea", the bill passes in the Senate. If the House and Senate pass the same bill, it is sent to the President. If the House and Senate pass different bills, they are sent to a Conference Committee, which is made up of House and Senate members who work out the differences between the two versions of the bill. The resulting bill then returns to the House and Senate for final approval.

A bill is sent to the president

In the United States, 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 citizen groups. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members 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.

When a bill reaches the President, they have several options. The president can choose to approve the bill and pass it, in which case it becomes a law. On the other hand, the president can refuse to sign or veto the bill, sending it back to the U.S. House of Representatives along with their reasons for the veto. If the House and the Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote, and if two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support 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 called a "pocket veto." If Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days of inaction from the President. However, if Congress is not in session and the President does nothing, the bill does not become law and is vetoed by default. This type of pocket veto cannot be overridden by Congress.

Frequently asked questions