Saturday, October 18, 2008

How Does A Bill Become A Law? (The Simplified Version)




The process for a law to be made is very unique and complex. There are a number of steps and procedures that must be followed in order for a bill to become a law.

The first important step for a law to be made is its introduction. The legislation can be introduced by any member. Within the House, legislation is given to the clerk of the House. Within the Senate, a member can announce the introduction of the legislation during the morning hour, if given permission by the presiding officer. The bill is assigned a number and is labeled with the introducing member’s name. The next important step is the actions of the committee. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate refers a bill to the appropriate committee. The committee then reads, examines, and analyses the bill. If changes or amendments are made to the bill, it is then revised with the necessary corrections. It must be approved before it can be voted upon. After the bill is approved, voted on and passed, the committee writes a report explaining why they are in favor of the bill and why certain changes were made.

The next important step is action of the floor. The legislation is then placed on the Calendar. All bills are placed on the calendar in the order they are reported. However, these bills may not come to the floor in this order. When the bill does reach the floor, it is debated. Within the House, the debate is structured by the rules set by the Rules Committee. After the committee debates and amends the bill, it is sent back to the House where there must be enough members present to make a final vote. If there are not enough members, then the House is adjourned. Within the Senate, the debate is basically unlimited unless cloture is invoked. Members may use a technique called the filibuster to defeat a bill. The bill is then voted on. If both chambers decide not to pass the bill, then it dies. If both chambers pass different bills, then the bills are sent to the Conference Committee. If the House and the Senate both pass the same bill however, it is sent to the President.

The Conference Committee is made up of senior members from each house. The committee meets to make the necessary changes and smooth out any differences, while trying to maintain the key components. If a compromise is reached within the Conference Committee, a written conference report is created and sent to each house. The conference report must then be approved by both the House and the Senate. The bill is sent to the President for review and analysis. A bill becomes a law if it is not signed within 10 days and Congress is in session. If Congress adjourns before the 10 day period and the President doesn’t sign the bill, then it does not become a law. This is known as a pocket veto. If the President vetoes a bill, it is sent back to Congress with an explanation. The chambers can override a veto if there is a two thirds vote of the members present. If the veto is overridden in both chambers, then it becomes law. Once a bill is either signed by the President or the veto of the president is overridden by the House and the Senate, the bill becomes a law and is then assigned an official number.

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