1. How A Bill Becomes A Law

2. The First Thing to Know is What Makes Up Congress
Congress is the combination of all of the Senators and Representatives in the Federal Government

3. What’s a Senator and Representative?
A Representative represents a part of the state…1 for every 550,000 people
Senators represent the entire state. Every state gets 2 Senators

4. Requirements to Be a Senator
30 years old
Citizen for 9 years
From the state you will represent

5. Requirements to Be a Representative
25 years old
Citizen for 7 years
From the state you will represent

6. How a
"Bill"
Becomes a
LAW

7. Step #1 You Need an Idea…
Let’s say Sarah, from Wisconsin, has an idea that the driving age should be lowered to 14 instead of 16

8. Step #2 Contact Someone in Congress
Sarah could write a letter to U.S. Representative Ron Kind from Wisconsin and tell him about her idea

9. Step #3 The Bill is Studied by Committee
A committee is a group from either the Senate or House of Representatives that studies the driving age bill to see if it would be a good idea

10. Step #4 The Bill is Introduced to the House or Senate
The driving age Bill can be introduced to either the House of Representatives or the Senate depending on who started it
We’ll say it started in the House of Representatives
Senate
100 members
Representatives
435 members

11. Step #5 Representatives Vote on the Bill
Representatives vote on the driving age bill
If 51% vote “YES” the bill goes to the Senate
If 51% vote “NO” the bill dies

12. Step #6 The Bill is Studied by Committee
A committee from the other side studies the driving age bill to see if it would be a good idea

13. Step #7 Senators Vote on the Bill
If 51% vote “YES” the driving age bill goes to the President
If 51% vote “NO” the bill dies

14. Step #8 The President Decides
If the President agrees with the original idea…the bill becomes a LAW

15. If the president disagrees with Sarah’s original idea and says “NO” that is called a “VETO”
…but it’s not over yet
VETO!

16. (If VETOED) Step #9 The Bill is Taken Back to Congress
If 2/3 of both the House of Representatives and the Senators vote “YES” on the bill, they “check” the President’s veto and the driving age bill becomes a law
Senate
Representatives

17. How Far Do Most Bills Get?
Step #3 Committee
Most Bills die in Committee

18. What About the 10-day Rule? Step #10?
If the President forgets about the bill, or just doesn’t sign it for 10 days the bill AUTOMATICALLY becomes a law
I’m Just A Bill School House Rock Video