How a Bill becomes a Law in the House of Representatives United States Government Chapter 12, Section 3

Vocabulary Bill Joint Resolution Concurrent Resolution Resolution Rider Discharge Petition Subcommittee Committee of the Whole Quorum Engrossed

What are they? Bill: A proposed law presented for consideration; Requires POTUS signature. Joint Resolution: A document presented in both Houses dealing with “special” matters; Requires POTUS signature. Concurrent Resolution: A document in which one house asks for agreement of the other on a “special” matter; No POTUS signature required.

And then… Resolutions: Formal posture statements; used for new rules; does not need the approval of the other house or the signature of the President. Rider: A separated matter added to an unrelated bill in order to try to get it passed.

The Introduction of a Bill In the House, it is placed in the Hopper It is given a number (H.R. 1234; S. 2345) It is given a title “A Bill Amending Title ___ of the United States Code…” or “The Student Financial Aid Assistance Act of 2011,” The Bill is placed in the Journal of the House and the Congressional Record. The Journal is a direct transcript; the Congressional Record is not.

The Three Readings The First Reading… number and title to the bill; referral to Committee The Second Reading… floor consideration The Third Reading… final consideration and vote on passage.

In Committee This is where most of the work of Congress gets done. Most bills do not make their way out of committees. If a Member of the House wants to force a bill onto the floor for consideration because it has been stuck in committee, they can present a discharge petition.

Subcommittees These smaller committees, with more specific jurisdiction, examine and review bills even more. Oftentimes, Members of the Subcommittee and/or their staffs will take authorized government travel to further investigate travel. Subcommittees will sometimes hold hearings so that interested parties can present testimony on a bill. Subcommittees have 5 options regarding the approval of a bill.

Scheduling Floor Debate & the Transaction of House Business Following a bill’s reporting out of committee, it is scheduled on one of the House’s 5 Calendars: The Union Calendar The House Calendar The Private Calendar The Corrections Calendar The Discharge Calendar If the bill is an important matter, it is considered in the Committee of the Whole. 218 Members are needed to transact business in the C.O.W.

Floor Debate There are time limits as to how long a member may speak They may not speak for longer than 1 hour unless the unanimous consent of the House is granted Members may ask to “move the previous question.”

Voting in the House Members must vote on all amendments, motions, and procedural issues. Oftentimes, these other votes are a barometer as to whether or not the Bill can pass. 4 Different Methods of Voting in the House Voice Vote Division of the house Teller Vote Roll Call Vote (by electronic device)

The Engrossment of a Bill The printing of a bill in its final form Third and final reading Vote on passage and signature by the Speaker (if passed) Transfer over to the Senate.