How A Bill Becomes A Law

Types of Bills Private bills Public bills 30% Resolutions Joint resolutions Concurrent resolutions Riders

Private Bills Deal with individual people or places. Often deal with immigration or naturalization issues.

Public Bills General matters Apply to the entire nation About 30% of all bills

Resolutions Affect only the house of Congress that passed it. Used to change procedural rules, etc. Do not need President’s signature

Joint Resolutions Passed by both houses of Congress Used to correct errors in laws or appropriate money for a special purpose Propose Constitutional Amendments Do not require President’s signature

Concurrent Resolutions Deal with matters of concern to both houses of Congress (but a law is not needed) Date of adjournment Express Congress’ opinion about an issue Do not need President’s signature

Few Bills Become Laws 5% Only about 5% of bills become laws Why??? Process is complicated Unless bill has strong support, it will die Politics kill many bills Interest groups may oppose the bill Some bills are just for “show” To appease some supporter To bring attention to an issue 5%

Writing A Bill Who writes a bill??? Congressman Staff Interest groups

Introducing A Bill House of Representatives Senate Drop the bill into a hopper An “HR” number gets assigned Bill is assigned to standing committees Senate Senator must actually read the bill to the Senate An “S” number gets assigned Bill is assigned to standing committees

See page 376 in textbook

Committee Actions Bill is assigned to subcommittee Hearings “Pigeonholing” to kill bills Make changes in bill Rewrite the bill Recommend that the bill be adopted

Reporting the Bill Report “Reporting a bill” means to send it to the full House of Representatives or Senate with a report of the committee’s actions. Report

Debate on the Floor Usually most of “debate” has occurred in the committees Things are added: Amendments Riders Earmarks

benefit the entire nation. Riders Attached to a bill but have nothing to do with the bill benefit the entire nation.

Riders Earmarks A form of rider that appropriates money that benefits only a single district or state. Examples: Money for a new park. Money for a bridge. Money for a library.

Earmarks

Final Steps for Bills Voting Conference Committees Voting again

Final Step Bill is “registered” Given a number

Then the bill is finally sent to the President.

Presidential Actions May sign bill May let it sit for 10 days Veto If Congress is in session, it becomes law without signature If Congress is not in session, it dies (Pocket Veto) Veto

Overriding a Veto 2/3 Requires 2/3 vote in both houses of Congress to override Very difficult to override vetoes 2/3