How a Bill Becomes a Law | US Gov Assignment by Adia Vang

Step 1 - Introducing a Bill

avang040 — 2024-06-21 22:41:00 UTC

This is the first step in how a bill is to become a law. A bill is usually an idea from private citizens, interest groups, the president, or other people who want a change in the nation.

A member of Congress can only introduce a bill to Congress and lawmakers who sponsor public bills that is major usually find other sponsors who also support that bill.

When you introduce a bill to the House of Representatives, a representative puts the bill into a box that is near the clerk's desk and when you introduce a bill to the Senate, the presiding officer has to recognize the Senator in order to formally present the bill.

When bills are introduced to the House and Senate the bill will be printed and given to lawmakers. A bill will have a title and a number which will go through what they call the First Reading.

Step 2 - Committee Action

avang040 — 2024-06-22 00:10:52 UTC

This bill is then sent to a committee that deals with the subject matter of Education. This is where the chairperson of the committee can send the bill to the subcommittee.

If the bill is accepted, the committee has the right to rewrite it, make changes, or they can send it back to the House and Senate for further actions.

If the bill is not accepted, committee members can ignore the bill and let it die which is known as pigeonholing. They can also kill the bill with a majority vote.

Step 3 - Committee Hearings

avang040 — 2024-06-22 00:22:41 UTC

This happens when a committee decides to make the bill happen. These are called hearings. Hearings are when a committee listens to witnesses about the bill's subject matter. These witnesses can include experts about the bill's subject, government officials, or representatives of interest groups who are concerned with the bill.

Hearings are very important in their own right and are also supposed to be an opportunity for Congress to gather information about the bill.

The Senate and House use the Internet for a more interactive setting when it comes to discussing the bill's subject matter outside of Washington D.C.

Step 4 - Markup Session

avang040 — 2024-06-22 00:27:15 UTC

This happens when a bill has completed the committee hearings. During a Markup Session, the committee in charge are the ones who get to decide what things in the bill should be changed by sections. A majority vote is what is required for all changes to be made to a specific bill.

Step 5 - Reporting a Bill

avang040 — 2024-06-22 01:23:43 UTC

This happens when a bill has changes to it made and then the committee then has a choice to report the bill or kill the bill. If the committee decides to report the bill, it would then send the bill to the House and the Senate for action. They will also send a written report that the committee staff has written. The report is important because it explain's the committee's actions, it describes the bill, it lists the major changes by the committee, and the committee's opinions on the bill. The report is often the only available document given to lawmakers and staff to decide on a bill.

Step 6 - Debating and Amending Bills

avang040 — 2024-06-22 02:01:38 UTC

A floor debate over a bill, is where amendments can be added to the bill (this may not be instituted if a House has adopted a closed rule). This is where the bill is given its second reading. After all the sections of the bill are read, amendments can be offered for the bill during the floor debate.

Amendments can have a huge effect on a bill whether its major changes or typographical errors. Some opponents tend to propose amendments to the bill to slow its progress towards Congress or to maybe even kill the bill.

Step 7 - Voting on Bills

avang040 — 2024-06-22 02:16:57 UTC

This happens after the floor debate and is ready for a vote. A majority or also known as a quorum of the members have to be present during the voting session. This is where the House and Senate receive the third reading of the bill. The passage/acceptance of a bill requires a majority vote of all members who are present.

The House and Senate members vote on the bill in one of three ways. The first way is by a voice vote, which is a vote that members says "aye" or "no". The second way is a standing vote/division vote, which consists of members standing for favor in the bill or not. The third way is a roll-call vote where the say "aye" or "no" in alphabetical order.

Step 8 - Conference Committee Action

avang040 — 2024-06-22 02:42:22 UTC

A conference committee happens when one house does not accept a bill the other house passed. A conference committee then starts to work out their differences between the different versions of the bill. Conference Committee members are known as conferees or managers. They are usually part of the House or Senate committee members who handled that certain bill originally. The conferees arrange compromises to work out the differences between two bills. A conference report is also made during this process. A conference report is usually consisted of a majority of the conference committee members from each of the house drafts regarding the final bill.

When the bill is accepted it will be submitted to each house of Congress for its final action.

Step 9 - Presidential Action on Bills

avang040 — 2024-06-22 03:12:58 UTC

This is part of the process because in Article 1 Section 7 it states that "... before it becomes a law, [it must] be presented to the President of the United States...". The bill is given to the President after both houses of Congress have approved the bill in an identical form. If the president signs the bill, it is then part of the law. If the president does not sign the law, then it is rejected with a veto. A veto is when the president decides to refuse to sign the bill and sends it back to Congress with reasons for refusing it. Another way that the President can veto a bill is called a pocket veto. A pocket veto is when a President decides to kill a bill that was passed during the last 10 days if Congress is in session to refuse to act on it. Congress can also decide to override a President's veto with 2/3 vote in both houses, then this bill will become a law.

Step 10 - Registering Laws

avang040 — 2024-06-22 03:16:17 UTC

When a bill becomes a law, it then is registered to the National Archives and Records Service. This law is then labeled as a private or public law and is assigned a number that is identifiable that Congress passed the bill along with the number of the law for that term. It is then added to the United States Code of current federal laws.