How a Bill Becomes a Law

That any person wants for U.S. -Who has the idea? Anyone How It Starts -starts as an idea That any person wants for U.S. -Who has the idea? Anyone An idea for a bill may come from anybody, however only Members of Congress can introduce a bill in Congress. There are four basic types of legislation: bills; joint resolutions; concurrent resolutions; and simple resolutions. A private bill affects a specific person or organization rather than the population at large. A public bill is one that affects the general public.

Split Process -a new bill must pass both parts of Congress Senate and House must both pass the bill -the bill must also pass both parts in exactly the same form Every part must be the same – any changes must get new vote

-must be sponsored by a member of Congress Becoming a Bill -must be sponsored by a member of Congress Someone in House or Senate must introduce the bill -put in a draft form To be studied and changed -introduced into Congress Given a title and a number After the idea for a bill is developed and the text of the bill is written, a Member of Congress must officially introduce the bill in Congress by becoming the bill's sponsor. Representatives usually sponsor bills that are important to them and their constituents. Representatives who sponsor bills will try to gain support for them, in hopes that they will become laws.

-bill is assigned to a committee Chairperson decides whether to study the bill or throw it out -committee has 3 options -send bill to next stage -kill the bill -pigeonhole the bill-- Action that places a bill to the side without a vote – ignore the bill and let it die The bill is referred to the appropriate committee. Committees each have jurisdiction over different areas of public policy, such as agriculture, education and the workforce, and international relations. The bill is placed on the committee's calendar. The committee debates on and marks up the proposed bill, and may or may not make changes to it. Committee members vote to accept or reject the changes made during the markup session.

-studies the bill in-depth Sub-Committee -studies the bill in-depth Good and bad, who it will effect, public reaction, etc. -public hearings-- Meetings held by legislative committees in order to allow public comments and information to be given to legislative committees Want to know how public will respond to new law -same 3 options Send to next stage, kill bill, pigeonhole The bill is referred to a subcommittee, and is carefully studied. The subcommittee may hold hearings to obtain the views of experts, supporters, and opponents. If changes are needed, the subcommittee will meet to mark up the bill. Subcommittee members vote to accept or reject the changes. If the subcommittee accepts the bill, the bill is sent back to the full committee for approval or rejection.

-back to full committee Discuss findings and changes of the sub-committee -committee votes to send bill to full House or Senate The bill is released from the committee, along with a report explaining the provisions of the bill, and is thus ordered reported. The reported bill is put on one of the House calendars, and the bill is sent to the House Floor for consideration.

House or Senate -Bill is read to the Full House or Senate for the first time Get general reaction -Party Leaders try to schedule debate time for bill Up to leader of the houses -Members research the merits of the bill Want to have good arguments in the full debate -Riders may be attached -additional measures which are not related to the original bill In the Senate only

Debate -members get to voice their opinions on the bill -time is often limited in debates in the House Too many people -Senate has no time limits on their debate- -filibuster Senator can talk a bill to death Does not have to be related to the bill – can talk about anything -cloture vote Vote to end filibuster -each party given equal opportunity to speak about the bill Floor action begins and Members debate the bill. The conduct of debate is dictated by the Rules of the House generally, and may also be governed by a special rule granted specifically for the bill under consideration. Following debate, the second reading of the bill begins in a section-by-section manner, during which amendments may be offered. At the conclusion of all amendment debate, the bill is read a third time. Next, the House is ready to vote on the bill.

Voting -after debate a vote is scheduled Gather votes for political party -3 types of votes voice – yea/no standing – stand up if you agree (counted), then opposite roll-call— Type of Congressional vote where each legislator is called out and a vote recorded—mostly done electronically today

-both parts of Congress must pass the same bill Same Bill Must Pass -both parts of Congress must pass the same bill Bill must be exactly the same, any changes must get new vote -if bill is not the same a conference committee will meet -Special committee made up of legislators from the House and Senate who try to work out differences in bill that passed both houses in different forms Speed up lawmaking process -bill must be voted on in new form When a bill passes in the House, it must also pass in the Senate in order to become a law. In the Senate, the bill again may be sent to a committee for study or markup. Members may choose to ignore the bill and continue to work on their own legislation. Members may vote to pass or not to pass the bill. If the bill passes with different language, it must be sent for review to a conference committee, which is a committee made up of members from both the House and the Senate. Differences must be agreed upon before the bill is sent to the President for signature.

Sent to President -4 options -sign it into law President agrees with no changes -pocket veto-- Process where the President does not sign a bill and Congress has adjourned and after ten days the bills dies rather than becoming law -veto the bill President kills the bill -not sign the bill becomes law in 10 days Only when Congress is in session

-if vetoed Congress can override the veto Checks and balances Over-Riding a Veto -if vetoed Congress can override the veto Checks and balances If Congress really wants a bill, can go against President -2/3 vote required in each house to override -very difficult to achieve If enough Members object to the presidential veto, a vote is taken to override, or overrule the veto. A two-thirds vote or greater is needed in both the House and the Senate to override the President's veto. If two-thirds of both houses of Congress vote successfully to override the veto, the bill becomes a law. If the House and Senate do not override the veto, the bill "dies" and does not become a law.