Bill Passing Process in the HOR
Many of the laws that we have today start out in one common place. They start in the Congress, but more specifically, the House of Representatives. This process that a bill goes through in order to become a law is very grueling and time consuming. Many thoughts and opinions are represented in order to make sure that this bill will have a positive impact on the life of Americans.
The first step for a bill to get passed the House of Representatives is it has to be thought of put on paper. This proposed bill has the potential to affect the whole country, so the language is chosen very carefully. Many times, the Representative will have an attorney who specializes in that legal issue look over the proposed bill and help with the word usage. These experts find flaws and strengths in the bill.
After the bill has been signed by the Representative, they must put it on “the hopper” for introduction. “The hopper” is the box where the newly drafted bills are placed. After the bill has been dropped, it will be assigned a number such as H.R. 1, or higher. If a bill was proposed from the Senate, then the number would look like this: S. 1. In such a case of a resolution of some sort, they will be titled H.Res. Or in the Senate’s case, S.Res.
Committee action is the next step in passing a bill. Hearings and Markups are the two steps in committee action. A hearing is when Congress invites people to come and listen to and give their opinion on the pending bill. After this, the markup takes place. The markup is when the committee writes the bill, line by line. The Chairman of the committee will start by making his critiques and this action is called the Chairman’s mark. During the markup session, the committee goes through the bill line by line, and the members propose amendments or ask the Committee to clarify something. The proposed amendments are voted on. Then finally the bill is voted on whether or not it will report to the House.
The bill will then go to the Rules Committee for a hearing. The Rules Committee has much power determining what kind of rules will be enforced on the floor in the House while the bill is being presented. Some examples of what kind of rules the Rule Committee makes is: how long the debate will last and what amendments will be offered. Non-controversial bills often go through a slightly different process and they are considered under the Suspension of Rules. These bills can only be considered for 40 minutes, require a 2/3 vote, and cannot be amended. However, for regular bills, once on the floor, the dill is debated and any amendments can be offered and voted on. The floor is open to any member of the House to come forth and speak of the bill. A final vote is taken whether or not to pass the bill.
Once the bill gets passed by the House of Representatives, then it is then passed over to the Senate. The Senate will continue the debates and see if there are any flaws in the bill. If the Senate chooses to pass this bill, then it will be handed over to the President. The President may choose to veto the bill or approve it. If the President signs it, then it becomes a law. If he chooses to veto it, then the bill will go back to Congress with the Presidents criticisms. Even though the President has vetoed it, the Congress may still enact the bill with a 2/3 vote or more, overriding the President’s veto.
This lengthy process of a bill getting passed can seem like a real hassle, but it is ultimately for the betterment of the country. It is a good thing that the proposed bill must be well researched and debated over before it even gets through the House. Any proposed bill must be debated over have good clear thoughts about the implications of the bill because if it does get passed, it could change someone’s life forever. This process protects us against irrational and poor laws. It helps protect our freedom as Americans and also ensures us that not one person or group in the government is to powerful.
Hodgson, Godfrey. The United States. Volume 2. New York. Round House Publishing, 1992.
Remini, Robert V. The House. New York: Harper Collins, 2006.
The first step for a bill to get passed the House of Representatives is it has to be thought of put on paper. This proposed bill has the potential to affect the whole country, so the language is chosen very carefully. Many times, the Representative will have an attorney who specializes in that legal issue look over the proposed bill and help with the word usage. These experts find flaws and strengths in the bill.
After the bill has been signed by the Representative, they must put it on “the hopper” for introduction. “The hopper” is the box where the newly drafted bills are placed. After the bill has been dropped, it will be assigned a number such as H.R. 1, or higher. If a bill was proposed from the Senate, then the number would look like this: S. 1. In such a case of a resolution of some sort, they will be titled H.Res. Or in the Senate’s case, S.Res.
Committee action is the next step in passing a bill. Hearings and Markups are the two steps in committee action. A hearing is when Congress invites people to come and listen to and give their opinion on the pending bill. After this, the markup takes place. The markup is when the committee writes the bill, line by line. The Chairman of the committee will start by making his critiques and this action is called the Chairman’s mark. During the markup session, the committee goes through the bill line by line, and the members propose amendments or ask the Committee to clarify something. The proposed amendments are voted on. Then finally the bill is voted on whether or not it will report to the House.
The bill will then go to the Rules Committee for a hearing. The Rules Committee has much power determining what kind of rules will be enforced on the floor in the House while the bill is being presented. Some examples of what kind of rules the Rule Committee makes is: how long the debate will last and what amendments will be offered. Non-controversial bills often go through a slightly different process and they are considered under the Suspension of Rules. These bills can only be considered for 40 minutes, require a 2/3 vote, and cannot be amended. However, for regular bills, once on the floor, the dill is debated and any amendments can be offered and voted on. The floor is open to any member of the House to come forth and speak of the bill. A final vote is taken whether or not to pass the bill.
Once the bill gets passed by the House of Representatives, then it is then passed over to the Senate. The Senate will continue the debates and see if there are any flaws in the bill. If the Senate chooses to pass this bill, then it will be handed over to the President. The President may choose to veto the bill or approve it. If the President signs it, then it becomes a law. If he chooses to veto it, then the bill will go back to Congress with the Presidents criticisms. Even though the President has vetoed it, the Congress may still enact the bill with a 2/3 vote or more, overriding the President’s veto.
This lengthy process of a bill getting passed can seem like a real hassle, but it is ultimately for the betterment of the country. It is a good thing that the proposed bill must be well researched and debated over before it even gets through the House. Any proposed bill must be debated over have good clear thoughts about the implications of the bill because if it does get passed, it could change someone’s life forever. This process protects us against irrational and poor laws. It helps protect our freedom as Americans and also ensures us that not one person or group in the government is to powerful.
Hodgson, Godfrey. The United States. Volume 2. New York. Round House Publishing, 1992.
Remini, Robert V. The House. New York: Harper Collins, 2006.
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