How laws are made

All laws in the United States begin as bills. Before a bill can become a law, it must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President.

  Let’s follow a bill’s journey to become law.

The Bill Begins:Laws begin as ideas. These ideas may come from a Representative—or from a                                                        citizen like you. Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their  

                                                     Representatives to discuss their ideas.  If the Representatives agree, they 

                                                     research the ideas and write them into bills.

The Bill Is Proposed:When a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The                                                                         Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in hopes                                                                       of getting their support for it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support                                                                        of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

The Bill Is Introduced: In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill is introduced when                                                                                         it is placed in the hopper—a special box on the side of the 

                                                                                      clerk’s desk. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the                                                                                           U.S. House of Representatives.

                                                                                          When a bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill                                                                                             clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then                                                                                                reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the                 

                                                                                            House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

The Bill Goes to Committee:When the bill reaches committee, the committee                                                                                                  members—groups of Representatives who are experts on                                                                                                topics such as agriculture, education, or international                                                                                                    relations—review, research, and revise the bill before                                                                                                voting on whether or not to send the bill back to the House floor.

The Bill Is Reported:When the committee has approved a bill, it is sent—or reported—to the                                                                       House floor. Once reported, a bill is ready to be debated by the U.S. 

                                                                      House of Representatives.

The Bill Is Debated:When a bill is debated, Representatives discuss the bill and explain why they agree or disagree with it. Then, a reading clerk reads the bill section by section and the Representatives recommend changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on.

The Bill Is Voted On:

There are three methods for voting on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives:

1. Viva Voce (voice vote): The Speaker of the House asks the Representatives who support the bill to say “aye” and those that oppose it say “no.”
2. Division: The Speaker of the House asks those Representatives who support the bill to stand up and be counted, and then those who oppose the bill to stand up and be counted.
3. Recorded: Representatives record their vote using the electronic voting system. Representatives can vote yes, no, or present (if they don’t want to vote on the bill).

If a majority of the Representatives say or select yes, the bill passes in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is then certified by the Clerk of the House and delivered to the U.S. Senate.

The Bill Is Referred to the Senate

When a bill reaches the U.S. Senate, it goes through many of the same steps it went through in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is discussed in a Senate committee and then reported to the Senate floor to be voted on.

Senators vote by voice. Those who support the bill say “yea,” and those who oppose it say “nay.” If a majority of the Senators say “yea,” the bill passes in the U.S. Senate and is ready to go to the President.

The Bill Is Sent to the President

When a bill reaches the President, he has three choices. He can:

1. Sign and pass the bill—the bill becomes a law.
2. Refuse to sign, or veto, the bill—the bill is sent back to the U.S. House of Representatives, along with the President’s reasons for the veto. If the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on the bill. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President’s veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law.
3. Do nothing (pocket veto)—if Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law after 10 days. If Congress is not in session, the bill does not become a law.

The Bill Is a Law

If a bill has passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law and is enforced by the government.