How Laws Are Proposed: Bills To Laws

The process of turning a bill into a law is a complex one, and it differs slightly depending on whether the bill is introduced in the House of Representatives or the Senate. In either case, the first step is for a member of Congress to draft the bill. Once this is done, the bill is introduced, either in the House or the Senate, and assigned a number (e.g. H.R. 1 or S. 1). The bill is then sent to a committee, which will research and discuss it, and possibly make changes. If the committee approves the bill, it is reported to the floor, where it is debated and voted on. If the bill passes this vote, it is sent to the other chamber, where it goes through a similar process. If the bill passes in both chambers, it is sent to the President, who can choose to sign it into law or veto it. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can attempt to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.

A bill is drafted

Drafting a bill is the first step in the legislative process. 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 people or citizen groups. The primary Congress member supporting the bill is called the "sponsor", and 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 for proposed changes to be made before the bill's formal introduction. Almost all draft bills are government bills, produced by government departments and issued to interested parties. Draft bills can also be considered by MPs and Lords in committees. The practice of publishing draft bills has become more frequent in recent years, as it allows for examination and amendments to be made more easily.

In the U.S., the drafting of statutes requires great skill, knowledge, and experience. In some instances, a draft is the result of a study covering a period of a year or more by a commission or committee designated by the President or a member of the Cabinet. Congressional committees also sometimes draft bills after studies and hearings covering periods of a year or more.

A bill is introduced

The process of introducing a bill varies slightly between the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the 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.

In the Senate, members must gain recognition from the presiding officer to announce the introduction of a bill during the morning hour. If any senator objects, the introduction of the bill is postponed until the next day. The bill is then assigned a number (e.g. S 1) and sent to the Government Printing Office (GPO), which prints the bill and makes it available digitally.

A bill goes to committee

Once 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. 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".

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.

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".

A bill is voted on

Once a bill has been introduced and assigned to a committee, it is then put before the chamber to be voted on. This is known as the bill being put to the floor. The bill is debated and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members' votes.

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 process of voting on a bill can be expedited by the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, which enables the House to act with a quorum of less than the requisite majority of the entire House. A quorum in the Committee of the Whole is 100 members. All measures on the Union Calendar—those involving a tax, making appropriations, authorizing payments out of appropriations already made, or disposing of property—must be first considered in the Committee of the Whole.

The Committee on Rules reports a rule allowing for immediate consideration of a measure by the Committee of the Whole. After adoption of the rule by the House, the Speaker may declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole. When the House resolves into the Committee of the Whole, the Speaker leaves the chair after appointing a Chairman to preside.

A bill is sent to the president

Once a bill has been approved by both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President for review. If the President approves of the bill, they can sign it into law. If the President does not agree with the bill, they can veto it and send it back to Congress with a note listing their reasons. If the President takes no action on the bill within 10 days and Congress is still in session, the bill will automatically become law. However, if Congress adjourns before the 10 days are up and the President has not signed the bill, it will not become law. This is called a "pocket veto", and Congress will have to restart the legislative process if they still want to pass the bill.

If the President vetoes a bill, Congress has the power to override this veto by passing the bill again with a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate. If this occurs, the bill becomes a law.

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