1. Chapter 5 Section 4 (pgs.148-152) How a Bill Becomes a Law
Essential Question: What steps must a bill go through to become a law?

2. How a Bill Begins (pgs.148-149)
Bill: a proposed law
Passing a bill is purposefully a long and difficult process to ensure all laws are well thought out and organized
Congress Considers Legislation (pg.148)
Congress considers thousands of bills each year
Both houses of Congress must approve the bill before it becomes a law, or act
Act: a law
An appropriation bill is the only type of bill that must start in a certain house, the House of Representatives
Appropriation Bill: a bill approving the spending of extra public money

3. Sources of Legislation (pgs.148-149)
Ideas for bills can come from anywhere
Several groups of Americans often propose bills: U.S. citizens, organized groups, congressional committees, members of Congress, and the president
The larger or more powerful the group proposing the bill, the more likely Congress is to consider the bill
Some bills are specifically proposed on behalf of special interest groups: farmers, labor unions, corporations, senior citizens, college students, republicans, democrats, etc.
Congress members often become experts for certain special interest groups
The president is widely consider the most single influential person for a bill and often proposes bills in their State of the Union address amongst other occasions
What groups of individuals might come up with ideas for bills?

4. The House and the Senate Consider the Bill (pgs.149-151)
Any Congress member can introduce a bill/ propose an act or law
Once bills are proposed, they’re given a code of letters and numbers
The letters represent in which house it was first proposed
HR for House of Representatives
SB for The Senate
The numbers represent its place amongst all other bills in that session of Congress
All bills are posted in the Congressional Record. Congress’ publication of daily proceedings

5. The Bill is Sent to Committee (pgs.149-150)
All bills are first sent to a standing/ permanent congressional committee for consideration
Different committees are organized to study different subjects of bills
Committees can refer the bill to a subcommittee within their committee
If or once a committee wants to consider a bill they’ll conduct a hearing on the bill
At the hearings, witnesses for and against the bill testify to give the committee members information they use to determine if they will pass the bills without changes, makes amendments to the bill then pass it, or reject/ kill the bill
Some bills are purposefully set aside and never returned to “kill it”

6. The House Acts on the Bill (pg.150)
If a House committee proposes a bill it is officially reported out of committee and placed on the House calendar
The House calendar is a schedule listing the order bills have been reported out
The House doesn’t have to, nor does it, follow the order of the calendar for debating bills amongst all its members
The Speaker of the House determines when or if bills will be debated
The House Rules Committee determines how much time a bill will be debated
The debate time is split evenly between proponents and opponents for the bill
House members may propose relevant amendments to bills
A quorom, or majority of House members are needed to vote on bills
Bills proposed and approved by the House are sent to the Senate for consideration

7. The Senate Acts on the Bill (pg.150)
Like the House, the bill goes through the same steps in a committee before it can proceed to the steps on the Senate floor to become a law
However, usually the time a bill is debated in the Senate is not limited like in the House
Some senators use this to their advantage to kill a bill, talking the bill to death, by a filibuster
Filibuster: a method of delaying action on a bill in the Senate by making long speeches
Filibusters can only be limited by a 3/5ths of a vote from all senators.
The procedure for ending a Senate debate is called a cloture
Cloture: a limit on the debate of a bill in the Senate

8. The Final Bill is Sent to the President (pg. 150)
Before a bill is sent to the president it must be approve by both houses (Congress)
Each house usually pass different versions of the same bill
A conference committee containing a equal amount of senators and representatives work together to create a compromising, yet identical version of the bill
A proposed conference committee bill is sent back to each house for approval
Describe the process that a bill through in Congress

9. The President Acts on the Bill (pg.152)
All final versions of a bill, a version agreed upon by both houses, are submitted to the president for approval
The President can do one of three things for all bills proposed:
1. Sign it –The bill becomes a law
2. Veto it –The president refuses to sign it and sends it back to Congress with their explanation why
3. Pocket Veto it – The president holds onto the bill for 10 days without signing it. After 10 days the bill becomes a law if Congress is in session. The bill doesn’t become a law if Congress has adjourned.
Congress has the check and balance power of overriding a president’s veto by 2/3rds vote in both houses
The President is referred to as the Chief Legislature because he’s so influential in the lawmaking process
Why is it important for the president to have final approval over congressional legislation?