How a Bill Becomes a Law: The Diagram

Most people don’t know how a bill becomes a law. In the United States, the process is long and complicated. Bills can be introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, but they must pass through several steps before they can become laws.

The first step is for a bill to be introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. The bill is then assigned to a committee, where it is debated and amended. Once the committee approves the bill, it goes to the full House or Senate for a vote. If it passes, the bill goes to the other chamber (either the House or Senate) for approval. If both chambers approve the bill, it goes to the president for signing. If the president signs the bill, it becomes a law.

However, if the president vetoes the bill, it goes back to Congress with his or her reasons for doing so. If two-thirds of both chambers vote to override the veto, then the bill becomes a law regardless of whether or not the president signs it.

Introduction

To better understand how a bill becomes a law in the United States, it can be helpful to visualize the process using a diagram. The chart below outlines each step in the process, from the time a bill is first introduced in Congress to the point at which it becomes a law.

-A bill is first introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate by a member of Congress.
-The bill is then assigned to a committee for review.
-If the committee approves the bill, it is then sent to the floor of the House or Senate for debate.
-After debate, the bill is put to a vote. If it passes, it moves on to the other chamber of Congress (either the House or Senate).
-The bill goes through the same process in the second chamber and if it passes, it is sent to the president for approval.
-If the president signs the bill, it becomes a law. If not, it goes back to Congress for further discussion.

The Legislative Process

In the United States, the process of making laws is complicated and lengthy. It can take months, or even years, for a bill to become a law.

To understand how a bill becomes a law, it is helpful to think of it like this:
A bill is like a seed. It starts as an idea, and then it must go through many steps before it can become a law.

The first step is for the bill to be introduced in Congress. This is done by a Member of Congress, who sponsors the bill.

Once the bill has been introduced, it must be debated and voted on by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. If both chambers vote in favor of the bill, it moves on to the next step.

If one chamber votes against the bill, or if there are differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill, it goes to a committee for further discussion. This committee attempts to work out the differences between the two versions of the bill.

Once the committee has made its changes, both chambers must vote on the bill again before it can move on.

If both chambers vote in favor of the final version of the bill, it goes to President for his or her signature. The President may sign or veto (reject) a bill.

If the President vetoes a bill, Congress may override his veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers. This happens very rarely. If Congress does not override the veto, then thebill does not become law.
In order for abillto become alawin America, it must go through these steps: introduction, debate and voting in both Chambers

The Bill

The first step in the process of a bill becoming law is the bill itself. A bill must be sponsored by a member of the House or Senate, who introduces the legislation in that chamber. The bill is then assigned to a committee, which may hold hearings and make changes to the legislation before it goes to the full chamber for a vote. If the chamber approves the bill, it moves on to the other chamber, where the process begins again. If both chambers approve identical versions of the bill, it goes to the president for signing.

The Committee

Once a bill is introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate (this is called the “first reading”), it is assigned to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the Senate Majority Leader. If the committee decides that the bill should be considered by the full House or Senate, it “reports” the bill to its chamber, where it is assigned to a calendar and debated.

The Floor

After a bill is introduced in the House or Senate, it is assigned to a committee which hears testimony and debates the bill before voting on whether to report it favorably to the full chamber.

If the committee vote is favorable, the bill is placed on the chamber’s calendar. Most bills never make it this far — of the thousands of bills introduced in each Congress, only a handful are actually debated on the floor.

When debate begins, members may offer amendments to the bill. Once debate is concluded, the chamber votes on passage of the bill as amended (if amendments were offered) or on passage of the original bill. If a majority of members vote in favor, the bill passes and is sent to the other chamber for consideration.

The entire process — from introduction to passage — can take anywhere from a few days to several months, depending on how contentious or popular the measure is.

The Vote

After a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives or the Senate, it is assigned to a committee. The committee debates the bill, Then, the bill is reported to the House or Senate with the committee’s recommendation. The chamber debates and amends the bill if necessary. Finally, the chamber votes on the bill. If it passes by simple majority (218 in the House and 51 in Senate), the bill goes to President for his signature or veto. If it doesn’t pass, the bill dies.

The President

The President may sign the bill, which then becomes a law, or he may veto it. If he vetoes it, the bill goes back to Congress with his objections. In order for the bill to become a law over the President’s veto, two-thirds of both houses of Congress must agree to pass the bill.

The Courts

The courts are where a bill goes to be challenged. If the Supreme Court decides that a bill is unconstitutional, then it becomes void.

Conclusion

This is the final step in the diagram, where the bill becomes a law. The bill has been through a lot of hard work and amendments, and it is finally ready to be signed by the President.

How a Bill Becomes a Law: The Diagram