How a Bill Becomes a Law

Chapter 7

Section 1

Section 1Types 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

• 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.

Types of Bills and Resolutions (cont.)

• Fewer than 10 percent of all bills introduced in Congress become laws for several reasons:

Section 1

– 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.

Types of Bills and Resolutions (cont.)

Section 1

• 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.

Introducing a Bill (cont.)

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Section 1

• 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.

Introducing a Bill (cont.)

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Section 1Floor Action

– 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

• The bill is then debated again, followed by a vote. House and Senate members can vote in one of three ways:

Section 1

– 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.

Floor Action (cont.)

Section 1Final 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.

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• 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.

Final Steps in Passing Bills (cont.)