How Do Bills Become Laws? “It is very easy to defeat a bill in Congress. It is much more difficult...
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Transcript of How Do Bills Become Laws? “It is very easy to defeat a bill in Congress. It is much more difficult...
How Do Bills Become Laws?
“It is very easy to defeat a bill in Congress. It is much more difficult
to pass one.” —John F. Kennedy (1962)
We will be looking at the U.S. Congress
The process is pretty much identical in the Ohio General
Assembly, few procedural differences.
113th Congress(as of 10-22-14)
**Ideas for Bills come from 4 sources:
Bills vs Resolutions
• Bills becomes Laws
• Resolutions do not
Types of Resolutions
• Simple Resolution: One house, NOT law, NOT signed by president
• Concurrent Resolution: BOTH houses, NOT law, NOT signed by president
Types of Resolutions (cont)
• Joint Resolution: similar to a bill, it IS law, usually for unusual events.
(Constitutional Amendments must notable)
A Bill can start in either house of
Congress…(only one type of
bill must start in the House…)Most common to
begin in the House of Reps.
$$$“Revenue
Raising” Bills
Getting Started• Assigned a number, (H.R. 4325 or S.
618)• New Session: old bills die• Titled and Labeled with Sponsor’s
name• Senate bills can be jointly sponsored,
all bills can have co-sponsors, but do not need them
S.1 Economic Stimulus Bill
• Harry Reid (D-NV)
• CoSponsors 16 Democrats 1 Indep. (Lieberman)
• Calls for the enactment of legislation to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America's middle class…
H.R.157 - DC Congressional Seat/Vote
• Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC At-Large)
• Cosponsor Total: 1 Democrats
• This bill would grant DC a voting seat in Congress and add an additional seat bringing the total number of Members of Congress to 437.
Life begins with fertilization H.R. 227
• Paul Broun (R-GA 10th) • Cosponsor Total: 54 Republicans
• Sanctity of Human Life Act - Declares that: (1)
the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human… (2) each human life begins with fertilization, (3) Congress, each state, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories have the authority to protect all human lives.
S.1766 Louisiana Katrina Reconstruction Act
• David Vitter (R-LA)
• Cosponsor Total: 1 Republican
• Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY2005 related to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php
Google:
“Thomas”(Library of Congress)
Bill assigned to the
appropriate committee
Committees research and discuss the bills, hold
hearings, etc…
May also assign to a
sub-committee,
which reports back to whole
committee
The Committees do one of five
things….
•Kill the Bill (no vote)•Pigeonhole the Bill*•Pass the Bill (yes vote)
•Amend the Bill•Re-write a new bill
Discharge Petition
• The only way to remove a bill from Committee without Committee action (HOUSE ONLY)
• 218 (majority) approval
Once the Bill reaches the Full House of Representatives:
• House Calendar – All public bills
• Private Calendar – All private bills
• Union Calendar – Money Bills• Corrections Calendar -- focus
on changing existing laws; 3/5 majority is required to pass these bills
Senate Calendars are simpler:
• Legislative Calendar – All Bills
• Executive Calendar – Treaties and nominations
Motion to Table
Passage means placing the current issue on the “back
burner.” Same as defeating.
(pigeonholing in full house)
• usually a Speaker Pro Temp• Timed debate (Rules Committee)• Bills must be germane
“Riders” & “Earmarks” -- “Pork”
• “Motion to Recommit”
(back to committee)
Full House Debate
The House “Morning Hour”
Monday and Tuesday mornings, 90 minutes,
members can speak for 5 minutes about anything!
When a Bill passes one house, it goes to
the other house.
When a bill fails at any point in one
house, it is all over.
Debate in the Senate…
•Debate is unlimited•Riders allowed•The Dreaded Filibuster!•Cloture Rule - 3/5 vote•The “Nuclear Option”
If the bill is identical in both houses, it goes to
the PRESIDENT!
If not….
Conference Committee!Both houses agree on an
identical bill, then it goes back to each house for
a vote
Almost all major bills go through a Conference
Committee and back to their respective houses for another
vote.
The President has the power to do one of THREE things with the bill!
• #1 Sign: It’s Law!• #2 Ignore for 10
days:
(a) It’s Law! - if Congress is in session
(b) It’s NOT Law! if Congress is NOT in session (Pocket Veto)
President and Bills….
• #3 Veto: It’s NOT Law! Back to Congress???
Usually the THREAT of a veto is enough to kill a bill…
The “LINE ITEM” VETO
• Veto specific parts of a bill only
• UNCONSTITUTIONAL; Congress doesn’t have the power to give the president THAT power. Must be a Constitutional amendment
12 4 2
If 2/3 of BOTH HOUSES agree,
they can override a
presidential veto!
(not easy to do)