How Laws are Made

Types of Bills More than 10,000 bills are introduced each term of Congress; only several hundred pass into law Private bills deal with people’s claims against the government, very rare Public bills apply to the entire nation and involve matters such as taxation, civil rights, or terrorism; more common form The process of a bill becoming a law is usually a long term project

From Bill to Law Every bill starts with an idea about something that would be helpful to the country Ideas come from Congress, the White House, special interest groups, and citizens Bills can only be introduced by senators or representatives Each bill that is submitted is given a title and number and then sent to the committee that is most qualified to consider it

From Bill to Law Committees receive more bills than they can discuss, the chairperson is the main person who decides whether a bill is considered or not The committee might send a bill to a smaller group for more research and request experts on the subject to come discuss the bill Standing committees can do the following: - pass a bill without changes -make changes then pass the bill -replace the original bill with a new alternative - ignore the bill and let it die - kill the bill by voting it down

From Bill to Law Bills that are approved in committee are ready to be considered by the full House or Senate Bills are put on calendars as they come out of committee; Senate goes in order, House schedule controlled by the Rules Committee When bills reach the floor the members debate the pros and cons and propose changes to the bill The House puts a time limit on debate, no limit in the Senate; Filibuster, 3/5 for cloture

Voting On A Bill There are several ways to take a vote Voice vote: members in favor of a bill say “Yea” if opposed they say “No” Standing vote: those in favor stand and then those opposed stand In the House they use a computerized voting system In the Senate members voice their vote in turn in a roll-call vote The House and Senate must both pass the exact same law or the bill dies If they pass different versions a conference committee is formed to work out the differences After the bill is passed it goes to the President where he can sign it into law or veto it