“Just a bill on Capitol Hill!” * 07/16/96 “Just a bill on Capitol Hill!” *

Who can propose a law? Anyone can suggest an idea for a law. However, Lobbyists, interest groups, the President, voters writing their Congressman, etc… However, Only Members of Congress can take a proposed law (a bill) to the House of Representatives or the Senate with the hopes of making it a law.

What happens first? A member of the House or Senate drafts a bill. Bill = any proposed idea for a law --In the House of Reps, a bill is dropped into a large wooden box next to the Speaker of the House known as the Hopper --In the Senate, members announce it verbally

What happens first? 2. The bill is then assigned a number that begins with: H.R.= House of Representatives S =Senate For example: H.R. 3261: “Stop Online Piracy Act” 3. The bill is then sent to the appropriate standing committee within that house of Congress.

The Standing Committee Standing committees study only bills related to their general topic such as education, agriculture or science. The committee chair assigns the bill to the necessary subcommittee. Example: Bills limiting the amount of chickens you can raise would go to a livestock subcommittee within the Agriculture standing committee.

The Subcommittee Most of the discussion in Congress takes place here in these subcommittees – including supporters and opponents, changes, writing a whole new bill, etc. The subcommittee then decides whether to schedule a bill for discussion within the whole standing committee. The subcommittee may also decide to stop action on a bill at which point the bill then dies.

The Standing Committee The subcommittee takes the bill back to the standing committee where it is discussed again. The committee votes on whether to send the bill to the full House or Senate. The bill is then sent to the full House or Senate.

The Floor (whole House or Senate) The bill is placed on the calendar of the House or Senate until it is scheduled for discussion.

Debate on the House floor The House is chaired by the Speaker of the House The Speaker determines who speaks first in the debate A Member speaks who is for the bill Then one who is against the bill Once debating is over, the bill goes to vote.

Debate on the Senate floor The Senate is chaired by the Vice President. There are no time limits to debate in the Senate. This unlimited talking in the Senate is a tradition known as a filibuster. Members may speak for as long as they choose. At the end of debate, the bill is put to a vote.

What happens next? Both the House and the Senate must pass exact forms of a bill, otherwise, a conference committee is formed with members of both chambers deciding on the precise wording. If it passes both houses, it is sent to the POTUS to be signed into law.

The President The President has 4 options for bills that pass Congress: Sign into law. He can sign the bill, which then becomes a law. Law without signature. He can let the bill sit on his desk for 10 days without signing it while Congress is in session. The bill then becomes a law. This shows the public he was not for the law.

The President - continued Veto. He can choose to not sign the bill, so it will not become a law. The vetoed bill is then sent back to Congress. If the vetoed bill gets a 2/3rd positive vote from both the House and the Senate, it still becomes a law (checks and balances) Pocket veto. If, after 10 days, he has not signed it and Congress is no longer in session, the bill does not become a law.

Isn’t it hard to make a bill into a law? FYI Last year 1,172 bills introduced to become Congress Only 112 became laws!