Most bills can be introduced in EITHER the House or the Senate.

The only exception are revenue bills, which MUST begin in the House of Representatives.

Public Bills--apply to the entire nation Private Bills--apply to specific areas or a

specific group of people Joint Resolution- carries the force of law,

used to propose Constitutional amendments Not all bills are intended to become law

Woodrow WilsonCongressional Government, 1884

“The fate of bills committed is generally not uncertain. As a rule, a bill committed is a bill doomed. When it goes from the clerk’s desk to a committee-room it crosses a parliamentary bridge of sighs to dim dungeons of silence whence it will never return. The means and time of its death are unknown, but its friends never see it again.”

Bills and J oint Resolutions Introduced and S igned into Law in Congress

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

2005-06: 109 2003-04: 108 2001-02: 107 1999-2000: 106 1997-98: 105 1995-96: 104 1993-94: 103 1991-92: 102 1989-90: 101

Congress

Introduced

Signed Into Law

How Many Bills Become Law

10,000 usually introduced in House◦ 400 passed

100 for naming something

Not all intended to become law

Multiple Referrals--sending a bill to multiple committees◦ Simultaneous referral--several committees get the

bill at the same time ◦ Sequential referral--sending the bill to one

committee, then another, then another, etc. Good way to kill a bill!!!!!

•This is where bills are really studied & worked on.•Committees hold hearings to gather information about a bill.•Remember Iron Triangles

All committees are chaired by a member of the majority party.

The majority party has more members on each committee.

The chairperson decides when the committee will meet & sets the agenda for the committee--decides which bills will be discussed.

•Pass the bill as is.•Amend the bill--it must go through “mark up” if this happens.•Kill the bill.•Rewrite the bill--it goes to the floor as a “committee” bill.•Recommend the bill unfavorably.•Pigeonhole the bill--this means that it sits in a pile & the committee never gets to it.

You use a “discharge petition” to get your bill out of committee if it’s been pigeonholed. This forces the committee to take action on the bill & move it on to the next stage. You must have a majority of members’ signatures to get a discharge petition. Discharge petitions can be used in the House ONLY!!!

This is the next step in the House of Representatives.

This is a VERY powerful committee because ALL bills go through this committee and it decides which bills go on to the floor for debate.

The majority party has a 2 to 1 majority on this committee.

Rules Committee is like a filibuster in House, designed to protect the majority

•Open Rule--this means that the bill can be amended on the floor during debate.•Closed Rule- no amendments will be allowed during floor debate--it must be passed or killed as is.•No Rule- the bill is dead without a rule of debate.

•IF a bill is given a Rule of Debate by the Rules Committee, it is placed on a Calendar.

–The Calendar is the order that billswill come up on the floor for debate.

-Bills are placed on the Calendar, it’s not first-come, first-served.

This gives all of the members of the House a chance to debate the bill.

There must be at least 218 members present. This is a quorum.

A bill gets its 2nd reading, then the floor is open for debate.

When debate is concluded, the bill is read for a 3rd time.

Each member may speak for up to 1 hour.Speaker and Minority Leader allowed to “filibuster” in House.

If it isn’t a controversial bill, they will use a “voice vote”, A parliamentary vote that is determined by the relative volume of noise of those shouting "aye" and "no."

If it could be a close vote, the House will use

a “roll- call vote”. This is computerized and is a vote held on the record. The name of the Representative and his/her voting position are noted together.

If the bill passes, it goes to the Senate. If the bill does not receive a majority of

votes--at least 218--it’s dead!! The bill must be reintroduced & start the process all over :(

The bill is referred to committee so that members of the Senate can now study the bill.

The committee in the Senate has the same options as the committee in the House. They can kill it, pass it, rewrite it, amend it or recommend it unfavorably.

If the bill passes the committee with a majority vote, it goes directly to the floor of the Senate.

The Senate does not have the Rules Committee like the House.

Floor debate in the Senate is similar to floor debate in the House.

The bill gets its 2nd reading, is debated, gets its 3rd reading and is voted on.

Amendments do not have to be related to the bill.

In the Senate, there is no time limit, so Senators can filibuster.

This means that you can “talk a bill to death”. Once you have been given permission to speak, you can talk about anything.

As long as someone is talking, no business can take place.

The filibuster is used by the minority party to get the majority party to compromise.

The Democrats are currently filibustering Pres. Bush’s nominees to federal courts.

A filibuster can be ended by invoking cloture.◦ It takes 60 votes to invoke cloture, so it is

VERY difficult to end a filibuster.

Senators also vote with a voice vote or a roll call vote.

The difference between the Senate & the House is the Senate’s roll call vote is not computerized. The Secretary of the Senate calls each Senator’s name--twice.

If the bill is passed, in the exact same form as passed by the House, the bill goes to the President.

If the Senate makes a small change in the bill, it goes back to the floor of the House. If the House approves the change, THEN it goes to the President.

If the House doesn’t approve the bill, it is dead

If the Senate makes significant changes in the bill, it is sent to a Conference Committee. This committee has members of the House & Senate on it. They meet & come up with a compromise bill.

The compromise bill is then sent to the floor of the House & the floor of the Senate.

If BOTH chambers approve, the bill goes to the President.

If one or both vote the bill down, it’s dead!!

Once the President receives the bill, he has 10 days to take action on the bill.

He can sign the bill into law. ◦ Attach signing statement: When a United States

President signs legislation enacted by Congress, he may issue a written statement commenting on his actions.

He can veto the bill & it goes back to Congress. They can override his veto with a 2/3 vote.

He can allow it to become a law without his signature

OR, He can do nothing, if Congress is NOT in session, and the bill is dead. (pocket veto)

Starts Over: Needs 2/3 Majority to

Override

Bill SupportersRe-strategize Signs into

LawVetoBill sent to President

The Senate Votes to Accept the Conference

Committee Version of the Bill

The House Votes to Accept the Conference

Committee Version of the Bill

Conference Committee

Senate Floor Debate and Vote

Committee Votes to Send Bill to Full

Senate

Committee Hearings

Gather CosponsorsNOW:

AIUSA Activistsappeal their senators

to cosponsor

Bill Referred to Senate Foreign

Relations Committee10/31/07

House Floor Debate and Vote

Committee Votes to Send Bill to the Full

House

Committee Hearings

Gather Cosponsors

Bill is Introduced in the House and

is Sent to Committee

House Representatives

Consider Introducing Bill

House Senators Biden

and Lugar Introduced

I-VAWA

10/31/07

*Non-governmental organizations Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), Women Thrive Worldwide (WTW) and other NGOs.

Senate

AIUSA Joins with FVPF, WTW & Other NGOs to

Work with Congressional Champions on Bill*

AI’s Campaign to Stop Violence Against

Women

How A Bill Becomes A Law