First, a representative sponsors a bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee for study. If published by the committee, the bill is included in a schedule to be voted on, debated, or amended. If the bill is passed by a simple majority (218 out of 43), the bill goes to the Senate.
In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if published, is debated and voted on. Once again, a simple majority (51 out of 100) approves the bill. Finally, a conference committee comprised of members from the House of Representatives and the Senate resolves any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the House of Representatives and the Senate for final approval. The Government Publications Office prints the revised bill in a process called enrollment.
The president has 10 days to sign or veto the registered bill. If the bill is approved by one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes and voting. Once the bill is drafted, it must be submitted. If a representative is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the House. If a senator is the sponsor, the bill is introduced in the Senate.
Once a bill is submitted, it can be found on Congress, gov, which is the official government website that tracks federal legislation. First, a senator or representative and their staff draft a bill, which is called a draft of the proposed law. The bill will be submitted to the Senate or House of Representatives and a copy will be given to each senator or representative and the appropriate committee will be assigned to study the bill. Senate bills are prefixed with S. and House bills are prefixed with H, R.
Plenary debate and voting. The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate Majority Leader determine if a bill is submitted to the full House and Senate, respectively, for debate and amendment, and then final approval. There are very different rules of procedure that govern debate in the House and debate in the Senate. In the House, a representative can propose an amendment to a bill only if he has obtained permission from the Rules Committee. In the Senate, a senator can submit an amendment without notice, as long as the amendment is related to the bill.
In both chambers, a majority of votes is required both for an amendment to be accepted and for the final draft to be approved, although amendments are sometimes accepted by voice vote (in which people say yes or no, and whoever votes the most wins); the names or numbers of the people who vote for each side are not recorded). If the president decides to veto a bill, in most cases Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes law. When the House of Representatives or the Senate approves a bill, it is referred to the other chamber, where it usually follows the same procedure: it goes through committees and finally reaches the plenary. National laws are drafted in Congress, which is part of the legislative branch and is comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Usually, the first step in this process is a public hearing in which members of the committee or subcommittee hear from witnesses who represent diverse views on the measure. Recently, an amendment to ban flag burning may be gaining strength and President Clinton has backed the idea of an amendment to the rights of crime victims. If the president rejects (vetoes) the bill, it can still become law if two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House vote in favor of the bill. If the president doesn't take action for 10 days while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law.
Any member of Congress, whether in the Senate, House of Representatives, or Representatives, who has an idea for a bill can write a bill. The registered bill is sent to the president, who can enact the measure to sign it into law, veto it and return it to Congress, let it become law without a signature or, at the end of a session, veto it out of pocket. Develop grassroots initiatives to promote early childhood in your community with these tools and resources. If both the Senate and the House approve the bill by a two-thirds majority, the president's veto is overridden and the bill becomes law. Due to reduced workforce efforts, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions sent through the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries.
Explore jobs at the Career Center and find opportunities for higher education and professional development. A bill must be approved by both bodies in the same form before it can be submitted to the President for enactment as law. Throughout the process, amendments and changes are added to the bill in committee and in the full Senate and House of Representatives.
