How A Bill Becomes a Law

How A Bill Becomes

A Law

Overview

Step 1

■ Every Bill starts out as an idea

■ These ideas can come from Congress, private citizens or from the White House

■ Special Interest Groups may also try to influence Congress to write a Bill

Step 2

■ Every Bill must start out and be introducedby a Congressman –either a Senator or a House Member

■ Every Bill is given a title and number when it is introduced – H.R.1 (in the House) or S.1 (in the Senate)

Step 3

■ After it is introduced, each Bill is then sent to the standing committee that seems most qualified to handle it.

Step 4

■ Committees receive hundreds of Bills and they decide the life or death of these bills

■ The Bills that hold merit are sent to a subcommittee to research (public hearings may be held)

Step 5

■ The subcommittee will report to the standing committee who will decide if the Bill should– Pass without

Amendments

– Amend and pass it along

– Replace the Bill with a alternative one

– Kill the Bill (most bills die here)

Step 6■ If a Bill is approved by

the committee, then it is ready for consideration by the full House or the Senate.

■ When Bills reach the floor, the members argue their pros and cons– The Senate (only) can

add riders

– The Senate also allows filibusters which can only be stopped by a 3/5ths vote for cloture

– House debate is far more organized, with more rules in place for the debate, SO house bills go to rules committee.

Riders v Amendments

Riders

■ Riders are amendments that are NOT related to the subject of the bill, Usually attached to appropriations (money) bills.

– Example: Hyde Amendment: anti-abortion law attached to a 1976 appropriation bill that prevents any federal money from being spent on abortions.

Amendments

■ Amendments are any changes to a bill. In the House amendments must relate to the substance of the bill, so no riders may be attached.

Why do you think there are more rules on debate and amendments in the House than there are in the Senate?

Step 7

■ When members of Congress are ready to votethey may do so by– Voice Vote– Standing Vote– Roll-call or today’s

Computerized Vote

– A simple majority is all that is needed to pass a Bill. If either house refuses to pass it, it dies

– The Bill must be passed in identical formats in both houses – conference committees may be needed

Step 8

■ In a conference committee, equal parts of both houses will work out a compromise bill that they feel can pass through both houses

– This step is usually needed as often the bill will change once it is passes from one chamber to the other.

– The bill MUST pass both chambers EXACTLY the same.

Step 9

■ Presidential Actionis the final step– Veto: refuse to sign

■ Congress can override the veto with a 2/3rds vote in each house – very unlikely

– Sign the Bill into Law– Do nothing for 10

days■ In session – the Bill

becomes a Law■ Out of session – the

Bill dies – POCKET VETO

The End