How Bills Become Laws: A Guide

Creating laws is the most important job of the U.S. House of Representatives. All laws in the United States begin as bills, which are proposals for new laws or changes to existing ones. Before a bill can become a law, it must go through several steps, including being approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. The process begins when someone persuades a member of Congress to draft a bill. These ideas can come from anyone, including citizens or advocacy groups. The primary member of Congress supporting the bill is called the sponsor, and other members who support the bill are called co-sponsors. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to it. The bill then goes through a similar process in the other body of Congress. If the bill passes both bodies, they must work out any differences between the two versions, and then both chambers vote on the same version. If it passes, it is presented to the President, who can approve it, veto it, or do nothing. If the President chooses to veto the bill, Congress can vote to override the veto, and the bill becomes a law.

How a bill is proposed and 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.

Once a bill is proposed, it needs a sponsor. The representative talks with other representatives about the bill in the hopes of getting their support. 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, 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. Upon introduction, the bill will receive a designation based on the chamber of introduction, for example, H.R. or H.J.Res. for House-originated bills or joint resolutions and S. or S.J.Res. for Senate-originated measures. It will also receive a number, which is typically the next number available in sequence during that two-year Congress.

In the House, bills are referred by the Speaker 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 and receive the bill, each committee may only work on the portion of the bill under its jurisdiction. One of those committees will be designated the primary committee of jurisdiction and will likely take the lead on any action that may occur.

In the Senate, bills are typically referred to a committee in a similar process, though in almost all cases, the bill is referred to only the committee with jurisdiction over the issue that predominates in the bill. In a limited number of cases, a bill might not be referred to a committee but instead be placed directly on the Senate Calendar of Business through a series of procedural steps on the floor.

The role of committees and subcommittees

Committees and subcommittees play a crucial role in the legislative process, which is the process of turning a bill into a law. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. Committees are assigned specific policy areas, and subcommittees take on more specialised policy areas. For example, the House Committee on Ways and Means includes subcommittees on Social Security and Trade.

The committee members, who are groups of representatives that are experts on the topic at hand, 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 require more information before making a decision, the bill is sent to a subcommittee. In a 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 committee will also 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.

Voting procedures

The voting procedures for a bill to become a law are as follows:

• House of Representatives: The bill is voted on by the House Representatives. A simple majority (218 out of 435) is required for the bill to pass.
• Senate: The bill is then sent to the Senate, where it is assigned to another committee and voted on. Again, a simple majority (51 out of 100) is required for the bill to pass.
• Conference Committee: If the House and Senate pass the same bill, it is sent to the President. If they pass different bills, a conference committee is formed, consisting of members from each house, to work out the differences. The committee prepares a written report, which must be approved by both the House and the Senate.
• Presidential Review: The bill is sent to the President for review and signature. The President can choose to sign the bill, in which case it becomes a law. Alternatively, the President may veto the bill and send it back to Congress with a note listing their reasons. If Congress is in session and the President does not sign the bill within 10 days, it automatically becomes law.
• Veto Override: If the President vetoes the bill, the chamber that originated the legislation can attempt to override the veto by a two-thirds vote of those present. If the veto is overridden by both chambers, the bill becomes a law.

The President's options

When a bill reaches the President, they have several options. If the President agrees with the bill, they may sign it into law. The bill is then printed in the Statutes at Large.

If the President disagrees with the bill, or believes it to be bad policy, they can veto it and send it back to Congress with their reasons for doing so. Congress can then override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate, at which point the bill becomes law.

The President also has two other options. If Congress is in session and the President takes no action within 10 days, the bill automatically becomes law. However, if Congress adjourns before the 10 days are up and the President has not signed the bill, then the bill is pocket vetoed and cannot be overridden. In this case, if Congress still wants to pass the bill, they must begin the legislative process again from the start.

Overriding a veto

In the United States, a bill becomes a law when it is approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President. However, if the President chooses to veto a bill, Congress can override that veto and the bill becomes a law anyway. This is called "overriding a veto".

The President has 10 days to sign a bill into law. If they choose not to, they can veto it, in which case it is sent back to Congress, who can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote. 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 is called a "pocket veto" and cannot be overridden.

The process of overriding a veto is similar at the state level, where state legislatures can override gubernatorial vetoes. The vote margin required to override a veto varies by state. For example, 36 states require a two-thirds vote, seven states require a three-fifths vote, and six states require a majority vote.

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