How a Bill Becomes a Law

Chapter 7
Section 1
 Section 1
Types of Bills and Resolutions
• Two types of bills are introduced in Congress:
– Private bills deal with individual people or
places.
– Public bills deal with general matters and
apply to the entire nation.
• A simple resolution covers matters affecting
only one house of Congress and is passed by
that house alone.
• A joint resolution is one passed in the same
form by both houses.
 Section 1
Types of Bills and Resolutions (cont.)
• Earmarks are a way that members of
Congress can specify that some part of a
funding bill will go towards a certain purpose.
• A rider is a provision on a subject other than
the one covered in the bill.
– Lawmakers attach riders to bills that are
likely to pass.
 Section 1
Types of Bills and Resolutions (cont.)
• Fewer than 10 percent of all bills introduced in
Congress become laws for several reasons:
– Creating law is a long complicated process
involving as many as 100 steps.
– A bill’s sponsors must be willing to bargain
and compromise with others.
– Members introduce many bills
knowing they have no chance
of becoming law.
 Section 1
Introducing a Bill (cont.)
• When a committee decides to act on a bill, it
holds hearings in which the committee listens
to testimony from experts on the bill’s subject.

• After hearings are over, the committee meets

in a markup session to decide what changes,
if any, to make to the bill.

How a Bill Becomes a Law

 Section 1
Introducing a Bill (cont.)
• When all changes have been made, the
committee votes to either kill the bill or report
it—to send it to the House or Senate for
action.

How a Bill Becomes a Law

 Section 1
Floor Action

• The bill is then debated again, followed by a

vote. House and Senate members can vote in
one of three ways:
– voice vote: together members call out “Aye”
or “No”,
– a standing vote, or division vote: the “Ayes”
stand to be counted, and the “Nos” stand to
be counted, and
 Section 1
Floor Action (cont.)
– roll-call vote: each member says “Aye” or
“No” as names are called in alphabetical
order.
• The House uses a fourth method, the
recorded vote, where votes are recorded
electronically and displayed on panels.
 Section 1
Final Steps in Passing Bills
• To become a law, a bill must pass both
houses of Congress in identical form.

• If passed bills are not the same, a conference

committee must work out the differences the
two chambers have.

• After both houses have approved an identical

bill, it is sent to the president.
 Section 1
Final Steps in Passing Bills (cont.)
• A presidential veto returns the bill to the
house where it originated.

• The president can also kill a bill by pocket

veto, meaning the president refuses to act on
a bill passed during the last ten days of the
session, effectively killing it.

• Congress can override a president’s veto with

a two-thirds vote in both houses.