The Making of a law
Through the US Government
How It starts out
All Laws are made for the people. First there is a need for some change, and with this a solution is proposed. Next a bill must be written, however if the bill is able to become law it will most likely go through several changes.
Proposing a bill
In the House only members can introduce bills, and they may do this by dropping them in the hopper to the clerk's desk. The member introducing a bill will try to inform others to persuade them and help pass the bill when it is introduced.
In the Senate a bill is introduced by formally being recognized by a senator and I then referred to a standing committee where it is dealt with much like in the house ,however the Senate's proceedings rules are less strict then in the much larger House.
Role of a committee
The Role of a standing committee is to sift through the bills referred to them and consider the bills and report the ones they find worthy of floor consideration. This an essential part of the law making process and more efficient by saving time for the house as a whole.
Most bills die in the committee, but if the committee buries a bill that the majority of the house want to consider the bill can be sent out of the committee with a discharge petition.
The committee can put the bill up for floor consideration, by reporting the bill in amended form, Report the bill favorably or un favorably recommendation, or by reporting a committee bill witch is a new bill placed as substitute for a bill or many bills that they buried.
Floor Consideration
In The house the reported bill must be placed on several calendars for scheduling. With all the arrangements made their is still usually a rule the Rules committee must pass before its put out on the floor. This gives the Rules committee the power to also kill the bill. If the bill reaches the floor It will receive its second reading in the house and be considered in the committee as a whole an old parliamentary device for speeding business on the floor.
With the house large size it has be forced to put several limits on floor debate, this different then in the senate with less strict rules and fewer limits than the house.
The Bill is subject to several votes on the floor if amendments are made they must vote on each one.
Conference Committees
A conference committee is called for when the House and the Senate wont accept the other version of the bill. This committee is a temporary joint of the two houses, they come together to try and agree on one version. When or if the come to an agreement it is then goes back in to the houses and starts the process again.
Presidents Role
With most bills that pass through both houses of congress the president will sing them and they will become law. However he can veto the bill witch then it must return back to congress. The president may also allow the bill to become law by not acting on it within ten days, or the president's other option is to pocket veto. With this option the president dose not act ,but if congress adjourns its session the bill dies.