Bill Becomes Law

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How Does a Bill Become a Law?

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Step 1: Beginning of a Bill An idea for a bill may come from anybody, however only members of Congress may introduce a bill in Congress. Bills can be introduced anytime the House is in session.

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Step 2: Propose a Bill After the idea for the bill is developed and the text of the bill is written, a Member of Congress must officially introduce the bill in Congress by becoming the bill's sponsor. Representatives who sponsor bills will try to gain support for them, in hopes that they will become laws.

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Step 3: Introduce a Bill Bills can be introduced whenever the House is in session.

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Step 4: Committee Action The committee debates on and marks up the proposed bill and may or may not make changes to it. Committee members vote to accept or reject the changes made during the markup session. The committee then votes on the bill.

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Step 5: Subcommittee Action A bill is carefully studied by a subcommittee, who then make any necessary changes and vote on the bill.

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Step 6: Bill is Reported The bill is sent to the House floor for consideration.

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Step 7: Vote on the Bill Members in attendance will vote to pass or not pass the bill. Members may vote "Yea" for approval, "Nay" for disapproval, or "Present" to record that they were in attendance but chose not to vote. If a majority of the House votes to pass the bill, the bill is then sent to the Senate to undergo a similar process for approval.

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Step 8: Refer to Senate When a bill passes in the House, it must also pass in the Senate to become a law. The two houses of Congress make up a Bicameral legislature, part of a system of checks and balances that ensures laws are created democratically.  The system in the Senate is very similar to the process in the House. Any changes made to the bill must be agreed upon before the bill is sent to the President for signature. At this time the bill is "enrolled."

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Step 9: Bill is Enrolled When a bill passes in the House and Senate, and is sent to the President for signature, it is said to be "enrolled." The President can take one of several actions. The next 3 steps  examine what can happen to a bill after it is enrolled.

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If the President signs the bill, or takes no action while Congress is in session, the bill becomes a law. If Congress overrides a Presidential veto, the bill becomes a law. Action 1: Bill becomes a Law

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Action 2: The Bill is Vetoed If the President decides that the bill is unwise or unnecessary, the President does not sign the bill and issues an official statement of objections, called a veto.

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Action 3: The Veto is Overridden If the President vetoes a bill, it is then sent back to the House of origin where it is reviewed and debated, once again. If enough members object to the Presidential veto, a vote is taken to override, or overrule the veto. A two thirds vote or greater is needed in the House and Senate to override the President's veto. If two-thirds of both houses of Congress vote successfully to override the veto, the bill becomes law. If the House and Senate do not override the veto, the bill "dies" and does not become law.