How a Bill Becomes Law in the U.S. Congress
Introducing a Bill:
A bill is introduced by a member of Congress in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. No other government official, including the President and his Cabinet, may initiate legislation. The legislative procedure is the same for both the House and Senate, regardless of the body in which the bill originates.
The bill is filed with the Secretary of the Senate or House and is given a number. (HR# is a bill originating in the House of Representatives; S# refers to a bill from the Senate.) It is then referred to a standing committee and printed.
Committee Review:
The committee or subcommittee will review the bill and gather information on it. One method of gathering information is through hearings. Hearings enable proponents, opponents, experts and government officials to state their opinions on the issue; testimony can be given in person or writing.
Sometimes a committee will refer a bill to the subcommittee for a more detailed analysis. After reviewing all of the gathered information, the subcommittee may decide to approved the bill with or without amendments or draft a new bill before recommending it to the full committee. If the subcommittee does not pass the bill back to the full committee, the bill dies.
After the full committee reviews the subcommittee's findings, they can either recommend further investigation or vote on whether to recommend the bill to the House or Senate. If a majority of the standing committee members is in favor of the bill, either as originally written or with amendments, then the committee chairman will recommend the bill for passage. A committee report is created by staff, printed and distributed to all members of the House or Senate.
On the Calendar:
The Senate has one set calendar, however the House has several different calendars. In the Senate, bills are placed on the calendar in chronological order. On the other hand, in the House of Representatives the Speaker of the House and the majority leader determine the order in which bills are debated.
Debate and Vote:
After the bill appears on the calendar, amendments may be added by any Member of the legislative body. When the bill comes to the floor, there is debate before the entire body and a vote is taken.
Consideration in the other Chamber of Congress:
After passage, the bill will go through the same legislative process in the other chamber. If the bill is amended by one body, the other body must concur with the changes/additions. If there is disagreement between the two bodies of Congress, then a conference committee may be requested to resolve the differences.
Conference Committee:
When the conference committee members reach an agreement, a conference report is presented to both the House and Senate. The recommendation is to either accept or reject the bill without any changes. If the conference committee cannot agree, the legislation dies.
Presidential Approval:
If the report is accepted by both houses in identical form, it is sent to the President. If the President approves, he will sign the bill and it will become a law. In some instances, the bill will become a law without being signed by the President. This occurs when Congress is in session, and the President chooses not to take action within 10 days of receiving the legislation. If the President disapproves of the bill, he can veto it or if he takes no action after the Congress has adjourned its second session, the legislation automatically dies.
Veto:
Congress may override a presidential veto by having a two-thirds majority of a quorum vote in favor of the legislation. This must occur in each body of Congress for the bill to become a law.
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