 Congress in Action How in the world does Congress operate?

 How a Bill Becomes a Law: The House

Bill  Bill  Proposed law; a public bill applies to entire nation; a private bill applies to only certain people of places

1. The First Reading  Each bill is introduced, numbered, named, entered into the House Journal and in the Congressional Record for the day  After the First Reading, the Speaker refers the bill to the appropriate committee

2. The Bill in Committee  Committees sift through all bills referred to them, reject most (most bills die in committee)  Committees may do the following:  Report the bill favorably  Report the bill in amended form  Report the bill with an unfavorable rec.  Refuse to report the bill  Rules Committee decides how and when a Bill is presented on the floor

Committees in Congress  Each house has set up permanent panels, known as standing committees, to which all similar bills are sent for approval

Examples of Committees in Congress

3. Schedule Floor Debate  Before it goes to the floor for consideration, a bill reported by committee is placed on the House calendar

4. The Bill on the Floor  Debate  Voting  If the bill is approved, it is signed by the Speaker and taken to the Senate president’s desk

 How a Bill Becomes a Law: The Senate

1. Introducing the Bill  Introduced by member of the Senate  A measure is then given a number and short title, read twice, and referred to committee, where bills are dealt with much as they are in the House

2. Debate  Debate rules are much more loose in the Senate than in the House  The Senate’s dedication to freedom of debate is intended to encourage the fullest possible discussion of matters on the floor  This freedom, however, can lead to abuse…

The Dreaded Filibuster  An attempt to “talk a bill to death”  Done in hopes the Senate will either drop the bill or change it in some manner  Senator Huey Long spoke for 15 hours in 1935, read Washing phone book and recipes  Senator Strom Thurmond spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in a fight against the Civil Rights Act of 1957  End a Filibuster: evoking cloture (60 out of 100 members vote to end the filibuster)

3. Vote  If the same version of the bill is passed in both Houses, the bill is sent to the President for his signature or veto  If different versions of the bill are passed in the House and the Senate, then the bill goes before a conference committee and then both houses vote again on the bill before it goes to the President.  Vetoed bills are sent back to Congress where a 2/3 vote from each house can approve the legislation