HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

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HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW
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WHERE ARE BILLS INTRODUCED?

• Most bills can be introduced in EITHER the House
  or the Senate.

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TYPES OF BILLS

• Public Bills--apply to the entire nation
• Private Bills--apply to specific areas or a
  specific group of people
• Joint Resolution- carries the force of law, used
  to propose Constitutional amendments

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A BILL IS INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE BY DROPPING IT
INTO THE HOPPER.
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After the bill is placed in the hopper, it is
numbered, read referred tocommittee by
the Speaker of the House.
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COMMITTEES Where the ACTION is!!!

• This is where bills are really studied worked
  on.
• Committees hold hearings to gather information
  about a bill.

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COMMITTEES

• All committees are chaired by a member of the
  majority party.
• The majority party has more members on each
  committee.
• The chairperson decides when the committee will
  meet sets the agenda for the committee--decides
  which bills will be discussed.

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COMMITTEE ACTION

• Pass the bill as is.
• Amend the bill--it must go through mark up if
  this happens.
• Kill the bill.
• Rewrite the bill--it goes to the floor as a
  committee bill.
• Recommend the bill unfavorably.
• Pigeonhole the bill--this means that it sits in a
  pile the committee never gets to it.

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RULES COMMITTEE

• This is the next step in the House of
  Representatives.
• This is a VERY powerful committee because ALL
  bills go through this committee and it decides
  which bills go on to the floor for debate.

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RULES COMMITTEE OPTIONS

• Open Rule--this means that the bill can be
  amended on the floor during debate.
• Closed Rule- no amendments will be allowed during
  floor debate--it must be passed or killed as is.
• No Rule- the bill is dead without a rule of
  debate.

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FLOOR DEBATE

• This gives all of the members of the House a
  chance to debate the bill.
• There must be at least 218 members present. This
  is a quorum.

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THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTES

• If it isnt a controversial bill, they will use a
  voice vote.
• If it could be a close vote, the House will use a
  roll- call vote. This is computerized.

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THE NEXT STEP

• If the bill passes, it goes to the Senate.
• If the bill does not receive a majority of
  votes--at least 218--its dead!! The bill must
  be reintroduced start the process all over (

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THE SENATE

• The bill is referred to committee so that members
  of the Senate can now study the bill.

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COMMITTEE ACTION

• The committee in the Senate has the same options
  as the committee in the House. They can kill it,
  pass it, rewrite it, amend it or recommend it
  unfavorably.

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FLOOR DEBATE

• If the bill passes the committee with a majority
  vote, it goes directly to the floor of the
  Senate.
• The Senate does not have the Rules Committee like
  the House.

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FLOOR DEBATE

• Floor debate in the Senate is similar to floor
  debate in the House.

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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOUSE SENATE FLOOR DEBATE

• Amendments do not have to be related to the bill.
• In the Senate, there is no time limit, so
  Senators can filibuster.
• This means that you can talk a bill to death.
  Once you have been given permission to speak, you
  can talk about anything.

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THE FILIBUSTER

• As long as someone is talking, no business can
  take place.
• The filibuster is used by the minority party to
  get the majority party to compromise.

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THE VOTE IN THE SENATE

• Senators also vote with a voice vote or a roll
  call vote.
• The difference between the Senate the House is
  the Senates roll call vote is not computerized.
  The Secretary of the Senate calls each Senators
  name--twice.

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OPTIONS

• If the bill is passed, in the exact same form as
  passed by the House, the bill goes to the
  President.

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OPTIONS

• If the Senate makes a small change in the bill,
  it goes back to the floor of the House. If the
  House approves the change, THEN it goes to the
  President.
• If the House doesnt approve the bill, it is dead

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TO THE PRESIDENT!!!!

• Once the President receives the bill, he has 10
  days to take action on the bill.

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PRESIDENTS OPTIONS

• He can sign the bill into law.
• He can veto the bill it goes back to Congress.
  They can override his veto with a 2/3 vote.
• OR

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POCKET VETO

• He can do nothing, if Congress is NOT in session,
  and the bill is dead.

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THE END!!!