The Legislative Process

The Legislative process is how a bill becomes a law. First a bill is introduced to the House or Senate and sent to a committee. The committee then assigns the bill to a subcommittee. The subcommittee reviews the bill and can “kill” the bill or pass the bill. In subcommittee and committee the bill may be edited or changed from its original writing to something different. Many bills die in subcommittee or committee and never make it any further than that. If a bill is passed in subcommittee then it is sent to the full committee where it is read and voted on. If it passes committee then, if it is the Senate, it is sent to the Senate floor. There the bill is read and debated. After the debate ends all the senators will vote to pass or “kill” the bill. If passed the bill is sent to the President to be signed or vetoed. In the House, the bill must first be assigned a rule before it goes to the House floor. A rule is how long it can be debated, what changes can be made, and the date it will be debated on the House floor. Once it has a rule it is then debated on the House floor. After it has been debated, Representatives vote to pass or “kill” the bill. If it is passed then it is sent to President for him to sign or veto. This process of making a bill into a law is a long and tiring process. It takes a lot of time when many bills don’t even become bills. Some bills are heavily debated and then not passed. With the work of the subcommittees, committee members have less work, but it adds an extra step to the process. The Legislative process is a long one but a necessary one.