1. How Do Bills Become Laws?

6. “CHEESEBURGER BILL”

7. Legislation Is Introduced
Numbered (House bills start w/ HR; Senate bills start with S)
Labeled with sponsor’s name
Read (1st time)
H.R. #101
Kevin Brady - TX

8. Committee Action ****(Most bills die here)***
Bill referred to committee (based on what subject is)
Speaker of House (HOR)/President Pro Tempore (Senate) refer these bills
****(Most bills die here)***

9. Committee Steps Assigned to subcommittees by Committee chairperson
Subcommittees research topic and then report their findings
All vote (committee members)
Pass = set date for it to go to the floor for debate & vote
Don’t pass = bill is dead

10. Floor Action Speaker/President Pro Tem places the bill on calendar
On calendar date = GOES TO FLOOR (VOTE)
Debate, Amend, AND/ OR Defeat.

11. Debate Senate House Debate is unlimited One hour maximum!
Filibusters : ”talk a bill to death”
Invoke cloture: need 60 Senators to agree to limit debate time
House
One hour maximum!
A quorum call made (51% of reps must be present before debate/vote begins)

12. STROM THURMOND 24 hours 18 min
Longest filibuster in history – over Civil Rights bill
STROM THURMOND
24 hours 18 min

13. Vote Bill is voted on after debate
If passes in one house sent to the other house for debate & vote (process starts over again)
If either house doesn’t pass it , then the bill DIES
If both houses pass, then signed by Speaker & Pres Pro Tem and sent to…

14. The President Choices, choices… Sign it (immediately)
Veto it (whole thing)
Don’t sign it (lets it sit on desk for 10 days = becomes law)
Pocket Veto (Congress adjourns before the 10 days are up = no law)

15. The Bill Becomes A Law Bill is signed by the President
Or the veto is overridden in Congress (2/3 of BOTH Houses needed)