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Government- How a Bill Becomes a Law
- 1. How a Bill Becomes a Law By: Emily, Sara, Sam S
- 20. SUMMARY:
Editor's Notes
- The bill must be approved by one or more standing committees as well as the House and Senate
- In some cases, the House and Senate versions differ and conference reports resolve the differences
- The bill must be introduced by a member of Congress. Congress members can be sponsored by other members to show support for the bill. These supporters are referred to as co-sponsors.
- After being introduced it is sent to the clerk of the chamber, who gives it a number.
- The bill is then printed, distributed, and sent to a proper committee for consideration.
- The committee sends the bill to subcommittees who determine if hearings will be held after examining the bill.
- The subcommittee hearings are open to the public because of the sunshine laws. After these hearings the subcommittee caneither approve the bill or they can defeat the bill. If it is approved, it is sent to the main committee.
- The committee can either send it to the House or Senate with a recommendation or reject the bill.The bill is susceptible to Markups which means that they can make changes to the bill before it goes to the floor.
- The Committee on Rules decides to schedule a place on the calendar and a given rule, which can limit floor debate and specify amendments.
- One form of speeding up the procedure is to form a Committee of the Whole. This committee has 100 members that consider the bill. On the House floor, the bill is debated and amended before it is voted on. If it passes, then it is sent to the Senate.
- When the bill is introduced to the Senate, a Senator can ask for a hold. A hold is putting a bill at rest until further information is provided, and the Senator takes away the hold.A filibuster is a formal way of halting action on a bill. This can be done through unlimited debate in the Senate or long speeches such as reading from a phone book or reciting poetry.Cloture is the only way to end a filibuster. This requires the vote of 60 senators and limits the remaining debate time to 30 hours.
- A conference committee is used when the House and Senate pass different versions of the same bill.The conference committee makes a compromise and and returns it to the chamber for a final vote. However, if the committee disagrees the bill dies there.No changes or amendments are allowed to the compromised bill.
- If the bill is passed in the chamber it is sent to the president. The president may either sign it or veto it.Veto: formal constitutional authority of the president to reject bills and prevent them from becoming a law without further congressional activity
- The president is given 10 days to consider a bill and 4 options:-he can sign the bill and make it a law-he can veto the bill …but Congress can override his veto with a 2/3 vote in each chamber -he can wait the full 10 days and let the bill become a law without his signature as long as Congress is in session-but if Congress is not in session and the 10 days are up, it is considered a pocket veto
- A pocket veto allows the bill to die. However, a bill can become a law if it is reintroduced In the next session. This requires the bill to go through the process all over againCongress could also extend their session. Congress sets its own date of adjournment and they could extend their session a few days to possibly help save a bill.