How a Bill Becomes a Law

How does a bill become a law in the

US Congress?
What does the Constitution say
about setting up laws?
As we have talked about
in past units, Congress
has the sole power to
create laws
Article I of the US
Constitution

The process is
intentionally complex &
requires all part to work
together
Why?
Introduction of the Bill
The bill can come
from a variety of
sources:
Individual citizens,
Special interest groups
Corporations

Only a member of
Congress can officially
introduce the bill

A bill can start in

either the House or the
Senate
the hopper
 The Bill is Assigned to Committee
Each House has standing
committees that consider
their bills

Each committee has two

leaders who try to edit the
bill so it will pass on the
floor
Chairperson (Majority)
Ranking Member
(Minority)

pigeonhole
Kill the bill in committee
The Bill is Reported To the Floor (House)

If the bill is passed by

the committee, it is sent
to the whole House for
debate and vote
reported the bill
favorably to the floor.

The Speaker
determines which bills
are discussed and for
how long.
Debate
Voting
 The Party Whips
The party whips
are responsible for
whipping up
support for bills
before the House

House Majority House Minority

Whip Kevin Whip Steny
McCarthy (R-CA) Hoyer (D-MD)
Congressional Riders
Lobbyists
Individuals who
seek in influence the
legislative process
for a particular
cause, industry, or
individual
 The Bill Goes to the Senate

The bill is sent to the

US Senate

As in the House, the bill

must be referred to the
appropriate standing
committee
Committees hold
hearings & make
changes to the bill

The committee can

report the bill to the
Senate floor
 The Party Whips
The party whips
are responsible for
whipping up
support for bills
before the Senate

Senate Majority Senate Minority

Whip Richard Whip Jon Kyl (R-
Durbin (D-IL) AZ)
 Debating in the House / Senate
In the House, debates are
limited by time
Speaker of the House keeps
things moving

Debate in the Senate is

unlimited.
Filibusters can be used to
block bills (endless debate)

3/5 (60 votes) of the Senate

must agree to end debate
(cloture)
Sen. Robert Byrd (WV) filibustering
Civil Rights Legislation
Southern Democrats
attempted to block the
Civil Rights Act of 1965
with a 75 hours group
filibuster, which included a
14 hour and 13 minute
address by Senator Robert
Byrd (D-WV).
Byrd later reversed his
position on civil rights and
supported it.
Sen. Strom Thurmond filibustering
Civil Rights Legislation
Senator Strom Thurmond (D-
SC) conducted the longest
solo filibuster ever by a lone
senator in opposition to the
Civil Rights Act of 1957, at 24
hours and 18 minutes in
length, nonstop.
Senator Thurmonds filibuster lasted so long that local hotels had to
bring in cots for the listening senators to sleep on
Both Houses Must Pass the Bill

A simple majority in
both houses is needed
to pass the bill (51%)

In the House:
218 votes are needed

In the Senate:
51 votes are needed
 Differences Between Houses Must Be Reconciled

What happens when each

house passes its own bill?

Any differences must be

ironed out
Compromise

The bill is considered by a

conference committee,
made up of both House and
Senate members
Sends the combined bill
back to both houses.
Both Houses must vote on
the compromised bill
The Bill is Sent to the President
The president has several
options when it comes to
turning the bill into law

Options:
Can sign the bill
Can veto or reject the bill
Not to act on the bill

If Congress is in session, the

bill becomes law after 10 days

If Congress is not in session,

the bill dies after 10 days.
pocket veto
The Line Item Veto
 The Bill Becomes Law Over the Veto
If the president vetoes
the bill, both Houses
can reconsider the bill.
Two-thirds (67%) of both
Houses are needed to
override the Presidents
veto.

In the House: 369 votes

are needed

In the Senate: 67 votes

are needed