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How A Bill Becomes a Law
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How A Bill Becomes
A Law
Overview
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Step 1
■ Every Bill starts out as an idea
■ These ideas can come from Congress, private citizens or from the White House
■ Special Interest Groups may also try to influence Congress to write a Bill
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Step 2
■ Every Bill must start out and be introducedby a Congressman –either a Senator or a House Member
■ Every Bill is given a title and number when it is introduced – H.R.1 (in the House) or S.1 (in the Senate)
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Step 3
■ After it is introduced, each Bill is then sent to the standing committee that seems most qualified to handle it.
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Step 4
■ Committees receive hundreds of Bills and they decide the life or death of these bills
■ The Bills that hold merit are sent to a subcommittee to research (public hearings may be held)
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Step 5
■ The subcommittee will report to the standing committee who will decide if the Bill should– Pass without
Amendments
– Amend and pass it along
– Replace the Bill with a alternative one
– Kill the Bill (most bills die here)
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Step 6■ If a Bill is approved by
the committee, then it is ready for consideration by the full House or the Senate.
■ When Bills reach the floor, the members argue their pros and cons– The Senate (only) can
add riders
– The Senate also allows filibusters which can only be stopped by a 3/5ths vote for cloture
– House debate is far more organized, with more rules in place for the debate, SO house bills go to rules committee.
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Riders v Amendments
Riders
■ Riders are amendments that are NOT related to the subject of the bill, Usually attached to appropriations (money) bills.
– Example: Hyde Amendment: anti-abortion law attached to a 1976 appropriation bill that prevents any federal money from being spent on abortions.
Amendments
■ Amendments are any changes to a bill. In the House amendments must relate to the substance of the bill, so no riders may be attached.
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Why do you think there are more rules on debate and amendments in the House than there are in the Senate?
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Step 7
■ When members of Congress are ready to votethey may do so by– Voice Vote– Standing Vote– Roll-call or today’s
Computerized Vote
– A simple majority is all that is needed to pass a Bill. If either house refuses to pass it, it dies
– The Bill must be passed in identical formats in both houses – conference committees may be needed
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Step 8
■ In a conference committee, equal parts of both houses will work out a compromise bill that they feel can pass through both houses
– This step is usually needed as often the bill will change once it is passes from one chamber to the other.
– The bill MUST pass both chambers EXACTLY the same.
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Step 9
■ Presidential Actionis the final step– Veto: refuse to sign
■ Congress can override the veto with a 2/3rds vote in each house – very unlikely
– Sign the Bill into Law– Do nothing for 10
days■ In session – the Bill
becomes a Law■ Out of session – the
Bill dies – POCKET VETO
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The End