Most of the Actual Drafting and Review of Legislation in Congress Takes Place

"All Legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives."

Commodity I, Section ane, of the United States Constitution

The chief function of Congress is the making of laws.  The legislative process comprises a number of steps, and this page provides information concerning legislation introduced and considered in Congress.

A much more in-depth discussion and presentation of the overall legislative procedure are available in the Library of Congress's How Our Laws are Made and Enactment of a Law.

The legislative process in a nutshell:

• Starting time, a Representative sponsors a bill.
• The nib is so assigned to a committee for study.
• If released by the committee, the beak is put on a agenda to be voted on, debated or amended.
• If the bill passes by unproblematic bulk (218 of 435), the beak moves to the Senate.
• In the Senate, the pecker is assigned to another committee and, if released, debated and voted on.
• If the Senate makes changes, the bill must render to the House for concurrence.
• The resulting bill returns to the Firm and Senate for terminal blessing.
• The President then has ten days to veto the concluding bill or sign it into police.

INTRODUCTION AND REFERRAL TO COMMITTEE

Any Member in the Firm of Representatives may introduce a beak at whatever fourth dimension while the House is in session by just placing it in the "hopper" at the side of the Clerk's desk in the House Chamber. The sponsor's signature must appear on the pecker, which may have an unlimited number of cosponsoring Members. The bill is assigned its legislative number past the Clerk and referred to the committee of jurisdiction, which is the commission charged with review of the neb.

Committee HEARINGS AND REPORTS

The Firm of Representatives divides its work among over twenty permanent committees.  Later on a neb is introduced and referred to the commission of jurisdiction, the committee will often send the measure to its specialized subcommittee(s) for study, hearings, revisions, and approving.

Usually, the first step in this process is a public hearing where the committee or subcommittee members hear witnesses representing diverse viewpoints on the measure.  Later on hearings are completed, the neb is considered in a session that is popularly known every bit the "mark-up" session.  At this betoken, amendments may be offered to the nib, and the committee or subcommittee Members vote to accept or reject these changes.  At the conclusion of deliberation, a vote of committee or subcommittee Members is taken to determine what activity to take on the measure. Information technology tin can be reported, with or without subpoena, or tabled, which means no further action on it will occur.  Tabling effectively "kills" the measure.  If the committee has approved extensive amendments, they may make up one's mind to report a new nib incorporating all the amendments. This is known as a "clean bill," which volition have a new number.

A measure is ready for consideration by the full House after information technology has been reported past a commission.

Contend AND VOTE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR

Consideration of a measure out by the full Firm tin can exist a simple or very complex functioning.  Sometimes, consideration may be governed by a "rule."  A rule is itself a simple resolution, which must exist passed past the House and that sets out the detail rules of debate for a specific neb (i.e. how much time will be allowed for argue, whether amendments can be offered, and other matters).

Debate fourth dimension for a mensurate is commonly divided between proponents and opponents. Each side yields fourth dimension to those Members who wish to speak on the bill.  When amendments are offered, these are also debated and voted upon.  After all debate is ended and amendments decided upon, the House votes on terminal passage.

In some cases, a vote to "recommit" the pecker to committee is requested. This is usually an effort past opponents to modify some portion or table the mensurate. If the attempt to recommit fails, a vote on last passage is ordered.

Votes may exist taken past the electronic voting system, which registers each private Member's response. These are referred to as recorded votes, and are bachelor in the record of roll call votes.  Votes in the House may also be by vocalisation vote; in that instance, no tape of individual responses is bachelor.

SENATE Activity

Afterward a measure passes in the House, it goes to the Senate for consideration.  This includes consideration past a Senate commission or subcommittee, similar to the path of a neb in the House.  A bill must pass both bodies in the aforementioned form before it can be presented to the President for signature into law.

RESOLVING DIFFERENCES

If the Senate changes the linguistic communication of the measure, it must return to the Business firm for concurrence or additional changes.  This dorsum-and-along negotiation may occur on the House flooring, with the Business firm accepting or rejecting Senate amendments or complete Senate text.

Oft, a conference committee volition be appointed with both Firm and Senate Members.  This grouping volition resolve the differences in committee and report the identical measure dorsum to both bodies for a vote. Conference committees also issue reports outlining the final version of the measure out.

CONSIDERATION Past THE PRESIDENT

Afterward a measure has been passed in identical form past both the House and Senate, it is considered "enrolled."  The enrolled bill is sent to the President who may sign the measure into police, veto it and return it to Congress, let information technology become law without signature, or at the finish of a session, pocket-veto it.

OTHER RESOURCES

Additional material explaining the rules and precedents of the Firm are bachelor through the Autonomous Office of the Business firm Rules Committee.

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Source: https://keating.house.gov/policy-work/legislative-process

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