How a Bill Becomes a Law

All laws begin as ideas. These ideas can come from individuals or from groups of people that want to join efforts to resolve certain situation. However, before these ideas become laws, they have to go through a long legislative process. Below is a step-by-step description of this process.

Bill is Introduced
A Bill is introduced into the Senate or the House of Representatives by a Member of Congress, and then it is sent to a committee to review the subject. All bills are numbered. “H.R.” represents a House bill and “S.” a Senate bill.

Committee Considers the Bill
The committee reviews the bill carefully and decides if it should be chosen for further study. Usually, it is sent to a subcommittee for hearings.

Hearings Held
The committee holds hearings (meetings in which people are asked to express their ideas) so it can learn more about the bill. Sometimes the committee will consult people from the executive branch, such as experts on the subject to find out what they think. Depending on what was said at the hearings, the committee may “mark up” (rewrite) the bill.

Debate and Refer the Bill
After the hearings, the committee returns the bill to the chamber where it started (in either the House or Senate). When that chamber’s leaders decide to call up (bring the bill into the floor), members debate (discuss the reasons for and against) the bill, change or amend it, and vote by either passing or rejecting it.

After a bill is passed by one chamber, it is referred to the other chamber where it usually follows the same route through committee and floor action. This chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it, or change it.

Conference Committee
If a bill passes in both Houses but there is a difference between the bill passed in the Senate and the billed passed in the House, a conference committee is formed. The conference committee, made up of Members of Congress from both Houses, works together to solve the difference and rewrite the bill.

Members Vote
After the bill has been rewritten, both Houses vote. A “yes” vote passes the bill. A “no” vote rejects the bill. When both Houses pass the bill in identical form, then it is sent to the President for approval.

The President Decides
If the President approves the bill, he signs it into law. If the President vetoes (rejects) the bill, then the bill is sent back to Congress. If both Houses pass it by a two-thirds vote, the bill becomes a law. If the President does not sign or veto the bill within ten days, the bill becomes a law without the President’s signature. However, if Congress is not in session those ten days, the bill fails to become a law.

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