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The bill process all rolled into a video...

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The bill process all rolled into a video...

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how does a bill become a law? the short answer is...

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how does a bill become a law? the short answer is...

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every single law in the u.s. started out as a bill. first the bill must be approved by the u.s house of representatives, the u.s. senate, and the president.

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laws start as ideas. the ideas for new laws can come from representatives or maybe even a normal citizen like you. people who may have an idea for a new law can message representatives to talk about their ideas. if the idea is agreed on, they do some research and write it into a bill.

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once a representative has written the idea into a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. then a representative would talk among other representatives about the bill in hopes of getting their support for it. once a bill has found a sponsor and has won over the support of other representatives, it is ready to be introduced and presented.

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the bill process explained in an image...

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the bill process explained in an image...

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in the u.s. house of representatives, any member may introduce a bill any time the house is holding a session. in order to officially introduce the bill, a member must place it in the “hopper". which is a wooden box on the side of the clerk’s desk. the member introducing the bill is very important and can commonly be known as its primary sponsor. an unlimited number of members can cosponsor a bill.

when a bill is first introduced, the name or title of the bill becomes a record in the house journal and is printed in the congressional record. the clerk assigns the bill a legislative number and the speaker of the house assigns the bill to the appropriate committee.

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when the chairman of the committee gets possession of a copy of the bill, the clerk of the committee places the bill on the committee’s legislative calendar. while the bill is in committee, the committee members will seek expert input and opinions, and hold “mark-up” sessions. at these sessions they can make any changes or updates deemed important, and, if necessary, send the bill to a subcommittee for further analysis through research and hearings.

once the committee is satisfied with the content of the bill, it is sent back to the house for debate. it is also possible for a bill to die in committee if the legislation is deemed unnecessary. about 90% of bills die in committee or subcommittee, where they are pigeonholed, or simply forgotten and never discussed.

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if the committee has approved a bill, it is sent or is reported to the house floor. once reported, a bill is finally ready to be debated by the us house of representatives.

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when a bill is being debated, representatives discuss the bill and give reasoning to why they agree or disagree with it. then, a reading clerk reads aloud the bill section by section and the representatives recommend changes or improvements they have in mind. when all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

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there are three main methods that are taken while voting on a bill in the u.s. house of representatives.

1. viva voce (voice vote): the speaker of the house asks the representatives who support the bill to say “aye” and those that oppose it say “no.”

2. division: the speaker of the house asks those representatives who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to stand up and be counted.

3. recorded: representatives record their vote using an electronic voting system. representatives can vote yes, no, or present (if they don’t want to vote on the bill).

from that point, its majority rules. so if a majority of the representatives say or select yes, the bill passes in the u.s. house of representatives. the bill is then certified by the clerk of the house and delivered to the u.s. senate.

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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 is reported to the senate floor to be voted on.

senators use the vote by voice method. those who support the bill say “yea,” and those who oppose it say “nay.” if a majority of the senators say “yea,” the bill passes in the u.s. senate and is ready to go to the president.

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once the bill reaches the president, there are 3 things he can do:

1. sign and pass the bill—the bill becomes a law.

2. refuse to sign, or veto the bill. in this case the bill is sent back to the u.s. house of representatives, along with the president’s reasons for the veto. if the u.s. house and the u.s. senate still believe the bill should become a law, they may hold another vote on the bill. if two-thirds (2/3) of the representatives and senators support the bill, the president’s veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law.

3. do nothing (pocket veto)—if congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. If congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

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once the bill officially becomes a law, it is enforced by the government and law enforcement, and then is addressed to the people so everyone's aware.

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and that is how a bill, which started as just an idea, becomes a law.