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Bill to Law

Bill to Law. A slow and tedious process. Some Facts. Bills fall into two categories Private concern individual people or places Public bills apply to the entire nation and involve matters like taxation A bill can become law. Other types of Legislation.

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Bill to Law

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  1. Bill to Law A slow and tedious process

  2. Some Facts • Bills fall into two categories • Private concern individual people or places • Public bills apply to the entire nation and involve matters like taxation • A bill can become law

  3. Other types of Legislation • Congress also considers resolutions which are formal statements expressing lawmakers’ opinions or decisions • Do not always have the force of law • H. Res 833 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c112:./temp/~c11232jCLm

  4. Joint Resolutions • Joint resolutions if passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President do be come law • Involve constitutional issues and to designate money for specific purposes • http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.J.RES.2: balance budget amendment

  5. Step 1: Bill begins with an idea • Ideas for bills can come from private citizens, the White House, or from special-interest groups • Whatever the source-a member of Congress must introduce the bill

  6. Step 2: Bill is Proposed When a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in hopes of getting their support for it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

  7. Step 3: Bill is Introduced • Representatives introduce bills by placing them in the bill hopper attached to the side of the clerk’s desk. • A bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. • A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees. • Bills are retrieved from the hopper and the Speaker of the House refers to committees with the appropriate jurisdiction.

  8. Step 4: The Bill Goes to Committee • After a bill is introduced it is sent to a standing committee that is related to the bill’s subject • The Committee can: • PASS THE BILL/Reported • MARK UP THE BILL • REPLACE IT WITH A NEW BILL • IGNORE THE BILL AND LET IT DIE (Pigeonholing) • KILL THE BILL (by a majority vote)

  9. Step 5: Bill is Debated • If a bill manages to make it out of committee it is ready for consideration by the full House or Senate. • During the debate members of the house speak for or against the legislation and can offer amendments • House can only offer relevant amendments • Senate allows riders completely unrelated to bill (pork barrel projects)

  10. Rules of the Debate • Both the House and the Senate have Rules Committees that establish the rules of the debate • Example how long can the Reps or Senators speak • Because the Senate is smaller – debate is less regulated this can lead to a • filibuster-which is essentially talking a bill to death • The only way to end a filibuster is through cloture (3/5th of the members vote to end debate

  11. Step 6: Bill is voted on • After the debate, the bill is brought up to vote • Three types of votes in the House: • Simple voice vote “yea” or “no” • Standing vote where members stand to be counted • Recorded vote where members cast their votes electronically • Bill passes with a simple majority

  12. Senate Voting • Uses the voice vote, standing vote and a “roll-call vote” • During a roll-call vote each Senator votes when their name is called Bill passes with a simple majority

  13. Step 6:House bill is sent to Senate • Back to Step 2: committee assignment and the whole process starts again in the other house of Congress

  14. Step 7: Conference Committee • The bill must be passed by both houses of Congress in the identical form • If not a conference committee meets (comprised of both Senators and Representatives) to iron out the differences • It is then sent back to both houses for a final vote/no amendments are added

  15. Step 8: Bill goes to the White House • Once the bill has made it out of both houses of Congress it is sent to the President • President has 4 options • Sign the bill and declare it a new law • Veto it or refuse to sign the bill • Do nothing for 10 days • If Congress is in session the bill becomes law • If Congress is not in session the bill dies (Pocket Veto)

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