How A Bill Becomes A Law
By Savannah Leaton
How a bill becomes a law
The bill is drafted
A bill can be drafted by members of Congress, the executive branch, and outside groups. Then, it is either sent to the House or the Senate.
In the house
- After the bill has been drafted, the bill is introduced and assigned to a Committee which refers to a Subcommittee. Only members can introduce a bill.
- Members of a Subcommittee study the bills, hold hearings, and debate changes to be made. If it passes, it goes to Committee.
- The Full Committee considers the bill and then decides if it will go to the Rules Committee.
- The Rules Committee issues a rule to govern a debate on the floor and sends it to the Full House.
- The Full House debates the bill and possibly amends it. If it is different than the Senate's version, it must go to a Conference Committee.
in the senate
- Bill is introduced and assigned to a Committee which refers to a Subcommittee
- The members of the Subcommittee study the bill, hold hearings, and debate provisions. If passed, it will go to Committee
- The Full Committee considers the bill. If it is approved, it will go to the Rules Committee
- The Full Senate debates the bill and may amend it. If different than the House version, it will go to a Conference Committee.
Conference Committee
If the House's and the Senate's version of the bill differ, Senators and Representatives meet to reconcile the differences in the bill. When an agreement is reached, a compromise bill is sent to the Full Senate who will either approve it or deny it.
The senate and the house version are already the same though
If the Senate's version is the same as the House's, then both vote on the bill. If both chambers approve the bill, it is sent to the President.
The President's desk
The president can either sign or veto the bill. If the President vetoes the bill, it will go back to Congress and could be passed with a two-thirds majority vote. However, if Congress is still in session and the President does not sign or veto the bill within 10 days, it will become a law. If Congress is no longer in session within that 10 day period, the President can choose not to vote on it and it will not become a law.
Example of a recently passed bill
the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act of 2016
The Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act bill was drafted by Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Rep. Mimi Walters in 2016. The bill was created in order to protect the rights of people who had been sexually assaulted. This includes preserving a rape kit for twenty years or the duration of the statute of limitations (whichever comes first), and the victims have the right to know the results. In addition, victims are offered a medical forensic examination for free. Also, survivors can request to be notified 60 days before the kit is destroyed and can request that it is preserved for a longer period of time. The bill was signed by President Obama on October 7, 2016.