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Laws begin as ideas. These ideas may come from a Representative or from a citizen like you.

When a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor.

When a bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

When the bill reaches committee, the committee members—groups of Representatives who are experts on topics such as agriculture, education, or international relations—review, research, and revise the bill before voting on whether or not to send the bill back to the House Floor.

When the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives.

When a bill is debated, Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it.

The Bill is voted on.

When a bill reaches the U.S. Senate, it goes through many of the same steps it went through in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on.

The Bill goes to the president. He can either pass it, Veto it, or pocket veto it.

If a bill has passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law and is enforced by the government.

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pass ex post facto laws, which outlaw acts after they have already been committed.

pass bills of attainder, which punish individuals outside of the court system.

suspend the writ of habeas corpus, a court order requiring the federal government to charge individuals arrested for crimes.

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Congress has authority over financial and budgetary matters, through the enumerated power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States. ... The Constitution also grants Congress exclusively the power to appropriate funds.

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The House, however, has the exclusive power to initiate bills for raising revenue, to impeach officials, and to choose the President in the event that a presidential candidate fails to get a majority of the Electoral College votes.

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The Constitution gives the Senate power to approve major presidential appointments such as federal judge ships, ambassadorships and cabinet posts. Also, the Senate has power to approve treaties with foreign nations. While the president may make treaties, they require approval (two-thirds majority) from the Senate.

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- Must be at least 25 years old.
- Must be a U.S citizen for seven years.
- Must reside in the state which thet are representing

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- Must be at least 30 years old.
- Must be a U.S citizen for at least nine years.
- Must be a resident of the state they want to represent.

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A smaller party or group opposed to a majority, as in voting or other action.

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A majority is the greater part, or more than half, of the total.

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a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.

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A conference committee is a committee of the United States Congress appointed by the House of Representatives and Senate to resolve disagreements on a particular bill.

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a permanent committee that meets regularly.

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A select or special committee of the United States Congress is a congressional committee appointed to perform a special function that is beyond the authority or capacity of a standing committee.

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counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.

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The legislative branch is the part of the United States government that creates laws

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manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.

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A congressional district is an electoral constituency that elects a single member of a congress.

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The upper house of the United States Congress.

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The lower house of the United States Congress.

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the head of the minority party in a legislative body, especially the US Senate or House of Representatives.

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the head of the majority party in a legislative body, especially the US Senate or House of Representatives.

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a high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president.

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a whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are the party's "enforcers".

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(of a legislative body) having two branches or chambers.