How a Bill Becomes a Law 6 Slides after this

Bill is Introduced 1. Large amount of citizens request a law. 2. An organization requests a law. 3. Congressional Investigation Committees discover findings that require new laws. 4.Individual members of Congress construct laws. 5. The president encourages Congress to make laws.

How the Bill Becomes a Law Introduced to the House Sent to House Standing Committee Committee studies and revises the bill The House votes on the bill IF THE BILL PASSES

Senate The bill is introduced to the Senate Sent to the Senate standing committee The bill is DEBATED The bill is voted on. IF THE BILL PASSES

Conference Committee If there are two different versions of the same bill Committee of both houses rewrite the bill to form a compromise The bill then must be voted on again in both houses.

The President The President has three options 1. He can sign the bill and it passes. 2. He can veto the bill 3. He can let it lay on his desk for ten days and it is automatically vetoed called a pocket veto.

Senate’s Debate Must have a quorum – majority of members – present to vote. Filibuster – method of making lengthy speeches to delay action on the bill. Cloture – limit debate in the Senate

Special Bills The house will sometimes try to combine bills or add amendments to bills. Germane amendments to bills meant the addition is relevant to the bill. Riders are additions that have nothing to do with the bill – usually concerns funding for something. Congress also has the power to create any laws “necessary and proper” which means they can extend their delegated powers = elastic clause