How Are Laws Made?

Bill Creation

The original idea behind a bill can come from many sources. Officially, however, members of Congress are the only people who can introduce a bill to be considered. A member of Congress becomes the bill's sponsor if it is important to them. Every bill must have an official sponsor before it is formally proposed.

Introduction and Committee

Once a bill has a sponsor, it is officially presented to Congress. The proposed legislation receives a number, so that it can be identified directly. New bills are read to all members of the legislature before being sent to a committee.

The job of the committee is to study and debate the proposed bill in detail and make changes to it if necessary. These changes are called "amendments." Once a bill has been debated and approved by the committee, it returns with any amendments back to the general legislature.

Consideration and Vote

When the bill returns to the general legislature, all members of Congress begin debating the bill. These debates argue the pros and cons of passing the law and come from both political parties.

A bill that has been debated thoroughly is put to a vote. Members can vote "Yea," meaning they are for the bill, "Nay," meaning they do not approve of the bill, or "Present," which indicates they attended the session but did not vote.

The bill requires a majority to pass. Once it passes, it is sent to the other side of the Capitol, the Senate, where it will be reviewed again. A bill can begin in either the House or Senate, but must be approved by both sides to become a law.

Presidential Powers

Once a bill has passed in both the House and the Senate, it is forwarded to the President to sign. The President, however, has several choices. If he does nothing, and Congress is still in session, the proposed bill becomes a law after 10 days, even without his signature. If the President does nothing and Congress is not in session, however, the bill will not become a law.

Similarly, the President can directly veto any bill. This means that it does not become law. This is one of the strongest powers of the Presidential office. A veto can be overturned if a two-thirds majority of Congress still supports the bill.

Finally, the President can sign the bill. In this case, it becomes a new law immediately.

References

• How U.S. Laws Are Made
• How a Bill Becomes a Law
• Legislative Process