The road a bill takes to becoming a law is a long and tedious process. First, the proposed bill goes through the House of representatives. Once the bill has been approved by the House, it is then begins its journey through the Senate. After the bill has been endorsed by the Senate, the houses of congress then meet in conference committees to prepare the bill to be sent to the White House. To summarize, the path the bill takes to become a law is a fairly complex impediment. Now to begin, the bill must primarily go through the obstacles of the House.
First, a sponsor introduces the bill by giving it to the clerk of the House or placing the bill in a box called the hopper. The clerk numbers and gives a title to the bill and is then entered in the House journal and in the Congressional Record in a procedure called the first reading. Immediately following the first reading, the Speaker of the house assigns the bill to a certain committee. The House has about twenty standing or permanent committees of which each has jurisdiction over bills in a specific area. The committee then studies the bill by hearing the testimony of experts or other interested people. In some cases, a subcommittee (140 in the House) conducts the study. The committee may revise and release the bill by reporting it out, or lay it aside so that the house cannot vote on it by tabling. Because the standing committee only chooses what they think is worthwhile, most bills die in committee, this is called pigeon-holed. Before the bill goes to the floor for consideration, a bill reported by a standing committee is placed on one of five specific calendars: union calendar, house calendar for public bills, private calendar, consent calendar (no opposition), or a discharge calendar.
The Rules Committee may call for quick action on the bill, limit debate, and limit or prohibit amendments. otherwise, a bill might never reach the house floor. The consideration of the house begins with the second reading of the bill. The third reading by title only, comes after any amendments have been added. If the bill passes a simple majority of only one more then half the votes, it goes to the Senate. This stage of how a bill becomes a law is very fair in the fact that there are limitations in certain aspects so not just any bill is passed.
To repeat, for example, the Rules Committee first lookes at the bill and then desides what ammount of action or attention it needs. To conclude, the bill endures many barriers before it can be introduced to the Senate. Now that the bill has been passed through the House, it is ready to go through the proceedings of the Senate. First, the bill is again introduced but now by a senator who must be recognized by the presiding officer and announce the introduction of the bill. A bill that has passed either house of congress is sometimes called an act, but the term usually means legislation that has passed both houses and become a law. Secondly, the Vice President of the US, who is the presiding officer of the Senate, assigns the proposed law to a committee for further study ( the Senate has about 15 standing committees).
The committees or one of its subcommittees studies the bill and may hold hearings.
The committee may approve the bill as is, revise the bill, or table the bill. Now the bill goes to the Senate to await its turn on the Senate floor. Normally the bill is considered as introduced unless the bill is urgent in which case the leaders of the majority party might push it ahead. At this time the Senate considers the bill. Here senators can debate a bill indefinitely, unless voted otherwise. When there is no further discussion, the Senate votes. Most bills must have simple majority to pass.
At this point of development, the process is especially exemplary because the bill in the Senate is now considered by debate to better illustrate its strengths and/or weaknesses. To summarize, the bill has now been passed by both houses of congress. At this moment, the bill has been permitted by both the Senate and the House, therefore members of both houses meet to revise the bill to be placed on the Presidents desk. A conference committee made up of members of both houses works out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The modified bill is then sent back to both houses for their final approval. Then the bill is printed by the government printing office in a process called enrolling.
The clerk of the house of congress that originated the bill certifies the final version. Afterwards, the Speaker of the House signs the enrolled bill, and then the Vice President signs it. Finally, Congress sends the proposed new legislation to the White House for consideration by the President. The President then has three choices: approval, veto, or no action. If the President decides to approve the bill, all that is necessary is that he or she signs, dates and sometimes write approved on it. If the President decides to veto, the bill must be sent back to congress with an explanation of the objections. The bill is then reconsidered and if two-thirds of those members present approve the vetoed bill, it becomes law despite the veto. If the President decides to ignore and take no action on the bill, it is given ten days excluding Sundays.
It becomes a law even with out the chief executives signature. When the bill becomes a law, it is given a number that indicates which congress passed it. A strength of this legislative process is that here all of the makings of a law come together in action to finalize and complete the bill. To ensample, the House and Senate make comprimises and then the President gives his contribution. In conclusion, the bill has been through all of the revising and has passed through the President and is now a law. Evidently, it is an extensive and labored trail to the development of a bill to a law.
Initially the bill is introduced to the House of Representatives where important readings take place. Secondly, the bill goes the Senate where the it is debated. Third, the bill is altered by both Houses and then placed on Presidents desk where he or she approves, vetoes, or ignores the bill. Ultimately, the procedure of a bill to law encounters many obstacles to conquer..