1. How a Bill Becomes a Law
Civics

2. Step 1: IDEA Anyone can create an idea for a bill
Examples: you, your parents,
the President, a Congressman

3. Step 2: INTRODUCTION A bill must be introduced by a Congressman
in either House
(Bill gets a number and is
assigned to a committee for study)

4. STEP 3: COMMITTEE The committee studies the bill.
It can be revised, killed, or approved
out of this stage.
(Usually passed to a standing
committee and then subcommittee)

5. STEP 4: FLOOR ACTION The bill is debated in the full House of
Congress, and then the entire house
votes on the bill. (It passes with a
simple majority.)
(the bill could die at this stage without
a simple majority)

6. Transfer to Other House

7. Step 5: INTRODUCTION The bill is introduced by a Congressman to
the other house.
(Bill gets assigned to a
committee for study)

8. STEP 6: COMMITTEE The committee studies the bill.
It can be revised, killed, or approved
out of this stage.
(Usually passed to a standing
committee and then subcommittee)

9. STEP 7: FLOOR ACTION The bill is debated in the other full House of
Congress, and then the entire house
votes on the bill. (It passes with a
simple majority.)
(the bill could die at this stage without
a simple majority)

10. STEP 8: CONFERENCE A conference committee meets to make
one version of the bill to send to the
President.
(the committee is made up of
members of both houses)

11. STEP 9: PRESIDENT The President has three options with a bill. He can:
sign the bill
veto the bill
pocket veto the bill
(a President’s veto can be
overridden with a ⅔ vote of
Congress -- both houses)

12. VOCABULARY VETO - to reject a bill
POCKET VETO - the President takes no action on a bill for 10 days, during that time, if the session of Congress ends, the bill dies, if the session continues, the bill becomes a law without the President’s signature

13. VOCABULARY
FILIBUSTER: a long series of speeches used to delay a vote on a bill in the Senate
Fallon: Ted Cruz Filibuster
CLOTURE: a vote to end a filibuster
HOPPER: a large wooden box in the House of Reps where bills are placed before being introduced