How a bill becomes a law

The New York State Senate

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How a bill becomes a law

The job of the Senate is to work with the Assembly and the Governor to enact, amend or repeal statutes which make up the body of laws by which we are governed. This involves drafting, discussing and approving bills and resolutions. The text shows the process in a simplified progression from «Idea» to «Law.» At any step in the process, citizens can make their views known to NY State Senators through this platform.

Step 1: Someone has a new policy idea Read More

The legislative process begins with a new policy idea. Senators often come up with those ideas, however they come from many other places such as a senator’s constituents, an organization that calling for a new law, or a State official. Regardless of the source, this idea serves as the starting point for any new bill or law.

Step 2: Idea is drafted into a Bill Read More

Once an idea for a new law has been settled on, it must be drafted as a bill before it can be considered by the Senate. A bill is a set of instructions for changing the language of the laws of New York. Bill drafting requires a specialized legal training, and it is usually carried out by the staff of New York State’s Legislative Bill Drafting Commission. Sometimes, an interest group may have its own attorneys draft a bill, and lawyers working in state agencies and the executive branch often submit their ideas for legislation in bill form.

Step 3: Bill undergoes committee process Read More

The first step in the committee process is to introduce a bill into a committee. Bills are generally only introduced only by legislators or by standing committees of the Senate and Assembly. The only exception is the Executive Budget, which is submitted directly by the Governor.

On introduction in the Senate, a bill goes to the Introduction and Revision Office, given a number, and sent to the appropriate standing committee.

Members of Standing Committees evaluate bills and decide whether to «report» them (send them) to the Senate floor for a final decision by the full membership. A committee agenda is issued each week listing the bills and issues each Senate committee will handle the following week.

Committees often hold public hearings on bills to gather the widest possible range of opinion.Citizens can share their opinion on a proposed bill with their Senate representative for relay to the committee members.

The committee system acts as a funnel through which the large number of bills introduced each session must pass before they can be considered. The system also acts as a sieve to sift out undesirable or unworkable ideas.

After consideration, the committee may report the bill to the full Senate for consideration, it may amend the bill, or it may reject it.

Step 4: Senate and Assembly Pass Bill Read More

After explanation, discussion or debate, a vote is taken. If a majority of the Senators approves, the bill is sent to the Assembly. It is referred to a committee for discussion, and if approved there, it goes to the full membership for a vote.

If the bill is approved in the Assembly without amendment, it goes on to the Governor. However, if it is changed, it is returned to the Senate for concurrence in the amendments.

(The reverse procedure is followed if the Assembly first passes a bill identical to a Senate measure or if the Senate amends an Assembly bill.)

Step 5: Bill is signed by Governor Read More

While the Legislature is in session, the Governor has 10 days (not counting Sundays) to sign or veto bills passed by both houses. Signed bills become law; vetoed bills do not. However, the Governor’s failure to sign or veto a bill within the 10-day period means that it becomes law automatically. Vetoed bills are returned to the house that first passed them, together with a statement of the reason for their disapproval. A vetoed bill can become law if two-thirds of the members of each house vote to override the Governor’s veto.

If a bill is sent to the Governor when the Legislature is out of session, the rules are a bit different. At such times, the Governor has 30 days in which to make a decision, and failure to act («pocket veto») has the same effect as a veto.

How a Bill Becomes a Law

The United States Congress, or just Congress for short, is the first branch of the United States federal government. Congress is primarily responsible for creating national statutory law, subject to the limitations set in the Constitution.

This page links to resources about how Congress makes laws.

You may also want to check out these other pages:

How a bill becomes a law

The 1976 Schoolhouse Rock! segment I’m Just A Bill is a great summary of how Congress turns an idea into a law:

More details can be found in this overview view:

You can continue with that video series at the Library of Congress.

For more in-depth explanations:

This information describes the formal procedure by which a bill becomes a law. But virtually all of the research and negotiating in the law-making process ocurrs off the record in meetings between the staff that work for senators and representatives, members of the public, lobbyists for nonprofits and businesses, and federal agencies.

What happens after Congress makes a law?

Making a law is only the very first step in creating national policy.

Legally speaking, after a bill becomes a law, it is assigned a number and then published in the United States Statutes at Large. Laws of a general and permanent nature are then incorporated into the United States Code.

Many laws direct federal agencies to take certain actions, like creating or ending a government program. After a law is enacted, it is up to the agencies to determine how that law will be implemented. They may create new regulations, which are also laws! For more about regulations, see What is the law?.

What are the checks and balances on laws crated by Congress?

There are many checks and balances limited Congress’s power to create laws. The executive branch — meaning the President and federal government agencies — can choose how to enforce the law, within the limits set by Congress. The federal courts can rule that Congress acted outside of the limitations of the Constitution when enacting a law (i.e. it is un-Constitutional). And the people of the United States can elect new representatives and senators in the next election.

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How A Bill Becomes A Law

Laws are an important part of society, setting rules that help to guarantee our rights, determine what is or isn’t a crime, and determine how our tax dollars will be spent.

Before a new idea can become law, it must be approved by the United States Congress.

This is why members of Congress are often referred to as lawmakers. Congress consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

A bill must go through a series of steps to be approved by the federal government and become a law.

Step 1: Introduction of Legislation

The first step in the process of creating a law is for an initial bill to be proposed in Congress. A bill may be proposed by any member of Congress, but the process is different based on if the bill is introduced in the House of Representatives or in the Senate. If the bill is proposed in the House of Representatives, it is given to the clerk, who will assign a number to the bill. This helps members of Congress keep track of all of the bills that are being discussed. In the Senate, a bill may be introduced by giving it to the presiding officer or by introducing it directly on the Senate floor.

Step 2: Committee Action

Once a bill has been introduced in Congress, it is then typically sent to a committee for review. Committees are small groups made up of members of Congress. These small groups focus on one subject, like education, trade, or energy, and they make sure that bills are properly reviewed. Both the House and Senate have their own committees to help review bills during the lawmaking process.

Step 3: Floor Action

After a bill has been reviewed by a committee, the committee can send it to the floor for debate. At this point in the process, members of Congress may propose adding amendments, or changes, to the bill. While the House of Representatives has strict rules on debate, the Senate does not. Senators may choose to extend the debate by speaking for a long time in an effort to block a vote on the bill. This is called a filibuster.

Step 4: Chamber Vote

After the debate has finished, the bill will come to a vote by all members of the chamber. In the House of Representatives, a majority vote is required to pass a bill. However, in the Senate, 60 of the 100 members must vote yes. The 60-vote rule in the Senate is designed to ensure that all bills have at least some support from both parties.

Step 5: Conference Committees

Once a bill has passed one chamber of Congress, it must then be sent to the other. For a bill to become law, it must be approved by both chambers. When a House bill is sent to the Senate or a Senate bill is sent to the House, the new chamber often amends the bill so enough people will support it for it to pass in that chamber. Conference committees are formed to work out the differences in the two versions of the bill until the two chambers can agree on a final version.

Step 6: Presidential Action

After a bill has been debated, voted on, and approved by both chambers of Congress, it is sent to the president. The president can then approve and sign the bill, making it a law. If the president chooses not to approve the bill, they can instead choose to veto it. If a bill is vetoed, it is sent back to Congress. Beginning with the chamber that first proposed the bill, Congress may choose to change the bill to get the president’s approval. But if enough members of Congress support the bill, they can vote to override the president’s veto so that the original bill will become law.

Step 7: The Creation of a Law

Once a bill has passed through all of the legislative steps in Congress and been approved by the president, the Office of the Federal Register assigns a number to the new law and publishes it for everyone to read and follow.

Ms. Aizman is the founding attorney at Aizman Law Firm, an award winning criminal defense attorney & former prosecutor for the city of Los Angeles. She regularly appears on CNN, Fox News, HLN & CBS News to provide legal insight on various legal topics. She is a proud member of the California Attorneys For Criminal Justice, California DUI Lawyers Association & the National College of DUI Defense

How a Bill Becomes Law

Introduction of State Legislation

Procedures vary state by state but follow the same basic format as the federal government for introducing legislation. You can learn how it all works in your state by following the link to your state’s legislative explanation of their process here. Links to state legislature home pages, bill lookup pages, and member lists for each chamber and be found on StateScape Legislature Links,

Introduction of Federal Legislation

Ideas for bills or drafting of wording can come from anyone, but only a Member of Congress (who becomes the “sponsor”) can introduce legislation. There are two basic types of legislation: bills and resolutions.

The official legislative process begins when a bill or resolution has been assigned a number. Senate bills are designated by beginning with an S. House introduced legislation begins with H.R. (Only the House can originate bills appropriating money.)

Committee Action

After legislation is introduced, it is referred to the committee that has jurisdiction over the subject. A bill may be sent to a single committee, several committees at once, from one committee to another or split up and different parts sent to different committees.

Procedural rules determine how bills are referred to the various standing committees of the House or Senate. Each bill referred is placed on the committee’s calendar. It can be considered by the entire committee or referred to a subcommittee for review. This phase of the process is very important as bills are examined by the committee to determine how likely it is to be passed. If a committee does not act on a bill, it has the same effect as killing the bill.

Subcommittee Action

Bills are referred by the committee to a subcommittee which have a narrower focus to allow further study.

If the subcommittee reports out legislation, the full committee will go through the same process of hearings, mark up and reporting out. If the committee approves a bill, it is reported out to the full Senate or House.

Publication of Written Report

The committee chairman requests the staff to write a report on the bill describing the intent and scope of the legislation, the executive branch’s position, any impact on current laws and/or programs, and the opinions of any committee members who voted against “ordering a bill reported.”

Floor Action

After the committee reports the bill back to the appropriate chamber (House or Senate), the legislation is placed on the calendar in chronological order for debate.

Conference Committee

Frequently similar bills go through the Senate and House at the same time. But both chambers must pass identical legislation in order for it to be sent to the President. If there are significant differences to the legislation, a committee is formed to reconcile the House and Senate versions and a report is written of the recommendation for changes. If the committee cannot reach an agreement the legislation dies. If a report is made then both the House and the Senate must vote again to approve the legislation.

Action by the President

Once a bill has been approved by both chambers it is sent to the President and he may:

Overriding a Veto

Congress can override a veto by the President by two-thirds vote in both chambers.

How a bill becomes a Law?

Parliament is the place where laws are made. All parties bring the proposals in front of the Parliament in the form of bills. It is just the draft and cannot be made law unless it has been approved by both the Houses of Parliament and then the President of India. The system of making the law starts with the proposal of a Bill in any House of Parliament. if the bill is brought by the Minister of State then it is called Government Bill otherwise it is called Private Bill. A Bill is read three times in both the Houses of the Parliament, i.e., the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, then is to be presented in front of the President.

1st Reading

2nd Reading

This part has two portions:

3rd Reading

This Reading refers to the discussion on whether the Bill is passed or needs to change. Even the Rajya Sabha also follow the same steps regarding the bill to be passed in the House. When a Bill is passed by both the Houses of Parliament, It is brought to the President for approval, after that it will become a Law.

Bills Related to Standing Committees

Consent about bill

When a Bill is passed by both the Houses of Parliament, it is presented to the President for his consent. The President may either consent or return the bill for reconsideration.

A Money Bill can not be moved back to the House by the President for reconsideration. But somehow, the President has to give consent to the bill if it is of the Constitution Amendment with the majority.

President’s approval

Acted as a law

Now after this most acts will come into force and be acted as law. Either it would be effected from the date assigned or certain is fixed from when it is to be implemented.

Sample Questions

Question 1: Who can veto a Bill?

Answer:

The president has the power to veto the bill. President has the power to refuse to approve a bill or joint resolution and so preventing enactment into law is a power of veto. The President has 10 days to sign a bill (Excluding Sunday).

Question 2: What is the difference between private and public bills?

Answer:

Public bills pertain to the general public or citizens, while private bills provide specified benefits to few individuals.