The Lawmaking Process

Bills: other than a revenue-raising (tax increasing) bill, any proposed law may begin in either the House or the Senate.
The House of Representatives A bill is introduced, numbered and assigned to a committee o The Speaker can control which members of his/her party get assigned to what committee The bill may be assigned to a subcommittee for further study The bill may be returned to committee for a vote to accept or reject it o Most bills die in committee* o Lobbying occurs; supporters try to get attention focused on the issue o Bills the chair supports get discussed. The chair can decide to hold hearings o The majority of the committee are from the majority party of the House The Rules Committee sets the rules for debate, such as when bills will be discussed on the floor, time limits and whether amendments will be allowed Debate on the House floor Bills that are approved by a simple majority of the House are sent to the Senate The Senate A bill is introduced, numbered and assigned to a committee The bill may be assigned to a subcommittee for further study The bill may be returned to committee for a vote to accept or reject it. o Most bills die in committee* o Lobbying occurs; supporters try to get attention focused on the issue o Bills the chair supports get discussed. The chair can decide to hold hearings o The majority of the committee are from the majority party of the Senate There is no equivalent of the House Rules Committee. Individual Senators may delay the process through threats of filibusters and holds Debate on the Senate floor. Amendments usually allowed Bills that are passed by a simple majority of the Senate are sent to the House.

If the House and Senate do not pass the identical version of a bill, the bill must go to a conference committee. The conference committee cannot add completely new material, or take out provisions both chambers agreed on. The leadership has control over who gets assigned to the conference.

Following the conference, the revised, compromised bill is sent back to both the House and the Senate for a final vote. A simple majority is required to pass the bill

Following the conference, the revised, compromised bill is sent back to both the House and the Senate for a final vote. A simple majority is required to pass the bill

A bill that is passed by both chambers in identical terms is sent to the President. The president may either sign or veto the bill. A vetoed bill is returned to Congress with a veto message

A veto may be overridden by a 2/3 majority of both the House and the Senate

A veto may be overridden by a 2/3 majority of both the House and the Senate

*The majority leadership has a variety of tactics to get ideas voted on without going through committees, such as adding an amendment to a bill already sent out of committee. Review the unorthodox lawmaking steps from the Dynamic Legislative Process worksheet.