How Do Bills Become Laws?

“It is very easy to defeat a bill in Congress. It is much more difficult

to pass one.” —John F. Kennedy (1962)

We will be looking at the U.S. Congress

The process is pretty much identical in the Ohio General

Assembly, few procedural differences.

113th Congress(as of 10-22-14)

**Ideas for Bills come from 4 sources:

Bills vs Resolutions

• Bills becomes Laws

• Resolutions do not

Types of Resolutions

• Simple Resolution: One house, NOT law, NOT signed by president

• Concurrent Resolution: BOTH houses, NOT law, NOT signed by president

Types of Resolutions (cont)

• Joint Resolution: similar to a bill, it IS law, usually for unusual events.

(Constitutional Amendments must notable)

A Bill can start in either house of

Congress…(only one type of

bill must start in the House…)Most common to

begin in the House of Reps.

$$$“Revenue

Raising” Bills

Getting Started• Assigned a number, (H.R. 4325 or S.

618)• New Session: old bills die• Titled and Labeled with Sponsor’s

name• Senate bills can be jointly sponsored,

all bills can have co-sponsors, but do not need them

S.1 Economic Stimulus Bill

• Harry Reid (D-NV)

• CoSponsors 16 Democrats 1 Indep. (Lieberman)

• Calls for the enactment of legislation to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America's middle class…

H.R.157 - DC Congressional Seat/Vote

• Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC At-Large) 

• Cosponsor Total: 1 Democrats

 

• This bill would grant DC a voting seat in Congress and add an additional seat bringing the total number of Members of Congress to 437.

Life begins with fertilization H.R. 227

• Paul Broun (R-GA 10th) • Cosponsor Total: 54 Republicans

 • Sanctity of Human Life Act - Declares that: (1)

the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human… (2) each human life begins with fertilization, (3) Congress, each state, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories have the authority to protect all human lives.

S.1766 Louisiana Katrina Reconstruction Act

• David Vitter (R-LA) 

• Cosponsor Total: 1 Republican

 

• Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY2005 related to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php

Google:

“Thomas”(Library of Congress)

Bill assigned to the

appropriate committee

Committees research and discuss the bills, hold

hearings, etc…

May also assign to a

sub-committee,

which reports back to whole

committee

The Committees do one of five

things….

•Kill the Bill (no vote)•Pigeonhole the Bill*•Pass the Bill (yes vote)

•Amend the Bill•Re-write a new bill

Discharge Petition

• The only way to remove a bill from Committee without Committee action (HOUSE ONLY)

• 218 (majority) approval

Once the Bill reaches the Full House of Representatives:

• House Calendar – All public bills

• Private Calendar – All private bills

• Union Calendar – Money Bills• Corrections Calendar -- focus

on changing existing laws; 3/5 majority is required to pass these bills

Senate Calendars are simpler:

• Legislative Calendar – All Bills

• Executive Calendar – Treaties and nominations

Motion to Table

Passage means placing the current issue on the “back

burner.” Same as defeating.

(pigeonholing in full house)

• usually a Speaker Pro Temp• Timed debate (Rules Committee)• Bills must be germane

“Riders” & “Earmarks” -- “Pork”

• “Motion to Recommit”

(back to committee)

Full House Debate

The House “Morning Hour”

Monday and Tuesday mornings, 90 minutes,

members can speak for 5 minutes about anything!

When a Bill passes one house, it goes to

the other house.

When a bill fails at any point in one

house, it is all over.

Debate in the Senate…

•Debate is unlimited•Riders allowed•The Dreaded Filibuster!•Cloture Rule - 3/5 vote•The “Nuclear Option”

If the bill is identical in both houses, it goes to

the PRESIDENT!

If not….

Conference Committee!Both houses agree on an

identical bill, then it goes back to each house for

a vote

Almost all major bills go through a Conference

Committee and back to their respective houses for another

vote.

The President has the power to do one of THREE things with the bill!

• #1 Sign: It’s Law!• #2 Ignore for 10

days:

(a) It’s Law! - if Congress is in session

(b) It’s NOT Law! if Congress is NOT in session (Pocket Veto)

President and Bills….

• #3 Veto: It’s NOT Law! Back to Congress???

Usually the THREAT of a veto is enough to kill a bill…

The “LINE ITEM” VETO

• Veto specific parts of a bill only

• UNCONSTITUTIONAL; Congress doesn’t have the power to give the president THAT power. Must be a Constitutional amendment

12 4 2

If 2/3 of BOTH HOUSES agree,

they can override a

presidential veto!

(not easy to do)