How a Bill Becomes a Law Unit 4 Lecture Notes

Types of Bills Private Bills – bills about individuals Public Bills – bills that effect the whole country Raising / lowering taxes Health insurance Gun control More . . .

Resolutions – not laws! Simple Resolution – establish rules or procedures within houses Joint Resolutions – to correct errors in previous laws Concurrent Resolutions – both houses want to share a common opinion

Riders – Mr. Gipson hates these! Attached to a Bill or Resolution Provisions that have nothing to do with the bill being passed.

Few Bills become laws – Why? The process can have up to 100 steps People must be willing to bargain and compromise Some people introduce bills just so they can publicly stand against them

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law Introducing a Bill – Step 1 Only congress can introduce a bill A Bill is dropped into a box by a congressman Read out-loud in a congressional meeting

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law Committees – Step 2 The Bill is then sent to a committee within congress Can then be sent to a subcommittee These committees can choose to ignore the bill in order to kill it = pigeonholing If a committee decides to discuss the bill they have hearings Committee makes a decision Kill the bill Send it to the floor Change the Bill and then send it to the floor

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law Floor Action – Step 3 Congressman argue for the bill on the floor and changes can be made again In any order . . . House Argues Senate Argues Filibuster – The Senators can “talk a bill to death” if they choose. There are no rules in the Senate for forcing senators to vote. Senators are allowed as much time as they want to debates Why? – The filibuster was never used until the 19th Century. Our founding fathers envisioned the Senate as being “the stable” house, and the House of Representatives more susceptible to the will of the masses. Once again, our founding fathers fearful of “Tyranny of the Masses”

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law Voting on the Bill – Step 4 Congress (The Senate and the House) must vote on the bill In order for a vote to take place, a “quorum” must be present – a majority

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law Conferencing – Step 5 House and Senate could pass two different bills by the time the process is done, so a conference committee reconciles the differences between the two houses

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law Voting again – Step 6 The House and the Senate vote on the bill once again now that it is the same

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law Presidential Action – Step 7 Sign the bill into law Not sign the bill and then after 10 days it becomes law Veto the Bill Pocket Veto – if within the last 10 days congress is in session, the president can take no action, and the bill is vetoed and congress cannot override it.

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law If Vetoed congress can override with 2/3 vote in house and senate – Step 8

Steps to a Bill Becoming a Law If made approved, it is registered as a law in the National Archives – Step 9