How Our Laws Are Made

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How Our Laws Are Made

• BY TERRENCE EDWARDS
• NICHOLAS CLEMONS
• DONALD STEWART

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INTRODUCTION

• There are four types of legislation
• Bills
• Joint resolutions
• Concurrent resolutions
• Simple resolutions

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Step one Referral to Committee

• Bills are referred to standing committees in the
  House or Senate.

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Step two Committee Action

• Bills is examined carefully and its chances for
  passage are determined.

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Step threeSubcommittee Review

• Bills are referred to a subcommittee for studying
  and hearing.

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Step four Mark up

• When the hearings are completed, the subcommittee
  may meet to mark up the bills, that is, make
  changes and amendments prior to recommending the
  bill.

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Step five Committee Action

• After receiving a subcommittees report on a
  bill, the full committee can conduct further
  studying and hearings.

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Step six Written Report

• After a committee votes to have a bill reported,
  the committee chairman instructs staff to prepare
  a written report on the bill.

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Step seven Floor Action

• After a bill is reported back to the chamber
  where it originated, it is placed in
  chronological order on the calendar.

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Step eight Debate

• When a bill reaches the floor of the House or
  Senate, there are rules or procedures governing
  the debate on legislation.

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Step nine Voting

• After the debate and the approval of any
  amendments, the bill is passed or defeated by the
  members voting.

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Step ten Referral to other Chamber

• When a bill is passed by the House or the Senate
  it is referred to the other chamber where it
  usually follows the same route through committee
  and floor action.

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Step eleven Conference Committee Action

• When the actions of the other chamber
  significantly alter the bill, a conference
  committee is formed to reconcile the differences
  between the House and Senate versions.

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Step twelve Final Actions

• After a bill has been approved by both the House
  and Senate in identical form, it is sent to the
  President. If the President approves of the
  legislation, he signs it and it becomes a law.

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Step thirteen Overriding a Veto

• If the President vetoes a bill, Congress may
  attempt to override the veto. This requires a
  two thirds roll call vote of the members who are
  present in sufficient numbers for a quorum.

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Definitions

• Act Once a bill passes either the House or
  Senate, it becomes an act.
• Calendar The agenda or list of business that is
  waiting for deliberation before each house.

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Definitions

• Amendment A provision that modifies, adds to,
  or deletes part of the original text of a bill.
• Committee One of several divisions of the
  Senate or House in which a bill is considered,
  amended, and either sent to the floor or left to
  die.

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More Definitions

• Hearing Session in the committee or
  subcommittee in which experts and lobbyists
  present facts and opinions about the bill under
  consideration.
• Law An act of Congress that has been signed by
  the President or passed over his veto by Congress
  becomes a law.

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More

• Veto The Presidents action of sending a bill
  back to Congress with objection, whereupon the
  bill will die unless each body overrides the veto
  with a two-thirds majority vote.

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The End
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