1. How a Bill Becomes a Law

3. 1-How many bills are introduced during each term of Congress?
Thousands
How many of those bills become laws?
A few hundred.

4. 2-What are private bills? Provide an example.
They deal with individual people or places.
They often involve claims against the government or a person’s immigration problem.

5. 3-What are public bills? Provide an example.
Bills that deal with general matters and apply to the entire nation.
Tax cuts, national health insurance, gun control, civil rights, abortion….

6. 4-Explain the legislative term “rider.”
4-Explain the legislative term “rider.”
A provision on a subject other than the one covered in the bill.
Lawmakers attach riders on bills that are likely to pass
H e a l t h c a r e b i l l w i t h r i d e r s d e a l i n g w i t h p a r k s , r o a d s a s a n d o t h e r t h i n g s t h a t h a v e n o t h i n g t o d o w i t h h e a l t h c a r e .

7. 5-List 3 reasons why so few bills become law.
Fewer than 10% of all bills become law.
 1. It is a long and complicated process, with as many as 100 steps. Many points where a bill can be delayed, killed or amended.
2. Because there are so many steps, a bill’s sponsors must be willing to bargain and compromise with others.
 Compromise is the only way to get enough support to move a bill from one step to the next.
 Bills opposed by powerful interest groups are not likely to pass.

8. 3. Many introduce bills, knowing they have no chance of becoming law.
5-List 3 reasons why so few bills become law.
 3. Many introduce bills, knowing they have no chance of becoming law.
They are introduced as a symbolic gesture…to show support for a policy, to attract media attention on an issue or to satisfy an important group of voters…when reelection comes, they can say they tried and can blame a committee or Congress for the bill’s failure to pass.

9. 6--From where do ideas for bills come?
Citizens, interest groups or the executive branch, congresspersons
But only a member of Congress can actually introduce the bill

10. 7-How are bills introduced in the:
House of Representatives- Member drops bill in the hopper [a box near the clerk’s desk]

11. 7-How are bills introduced in the:
 Senate- The presiding officer must first recognize the senator, who formally presents the bill.

12. 8-What happens after a bill is introduced?
It is given a title and number and then printed and distributed to lawmakers.
Senate S. 1 House: H.R. 1

13. Bill is sent to appropriate committee.
 9-Explain committee action on a bill
Bill is sent to appropriate committee.
 Committee chair send the bill to a subcommittee
The committee can ignore the bill and let the bill die [pigeonholing]
Committee can kill it by a majority vote 
A Committee can completely rewrite the bill, amend it or recommend that it be adopted as is before sending it back to the House or Senate for action

14. Listens to testimony from experts on the subject of the bill.
10-Explain the committee hearing process of a bill.
Listens to testimony from experts on the subject of the bill.
Hearings allow the committee to gather information.

15. The Committee decides what changes, if any, to make on the bill.
11-What is the purpose of the “markup session?”
The Committee decides what changes, if any, to make on the bill.
A majority vote of the committee is required for all changes made to a bill

16. 12-Describe the process of reporting a bill.
The committee sends the bill to the House/Senate for action.

17. 13-Provide information from the section “Debating and Amending Bills”
A clerk reads the bill section by section.
After each section is read, amendments can be added to the bill

18. 14-Explain the importance of the conference committee on a bill.
Members from both houses work out the differences by finding compromises.
A final draft is written called a “conference report.”
The bill is sent to both houses for final action [voting for/against]

19. 15-What are four actions a president can take on a bill?
1-Sign it and it becomes law
2-Keep the bill for 10 days without signing it. If Congress is in session, the bill becomes law without the president’s signature
3-Veto
4-Pocket Veto [President refuses to act on a bill passed during the last 10 days of the session. By failing to send it back before the session ends, the president “kills” the bill for that session.

20. 2/3 of the members in both houses must vote to override the veto.
16-What does it take for Congress to override a presidential veto?
2/3 of the members in both houses must vote to override the veto.