1. Congressional Lawmaking
Unit 8
Essential Question:
How do laws REALLY get made?

2. Bill-to-Law process
Must get through (1) House, (2) Senate, (3) president*
Starts in committee (Pass/Fail/Pigeonhole?)
Then to entire 1st house (P/F/Pigeon?)
Committee of 2nd house (P/F/Pigeon?)
Then to entire 2nd house (P/F/Pigeon?)
Goes to president (sign/veto?)
Sign  law
Veto  *back to Congress for 2/3 vote (P/F?)
By far, most bills fail

3. A new Congress Meets in January of odd years
Party leaders (e.g. Speaker, whips) were already chosen
Committees are formed & organized
Majority party usually keeps majority control in committees
Important committees:
Appropriations, Budget, Commerce in both houses
House – Ways and Means Committee
Senate – Finance Committee
Anything in common here?
Money!
Committees:

4. Committees This is where most things happen in Congress
Standing committees – permanent
Subcommittees – research/report to committee
Select committees – chosen for special purposes
Joint committees – made of both House & Senate members
Conference committee – temporary joint committee
Bills often die in committee

5. Committee work Seniority determines…
…who gets on a committee
…your rank on a committee
Committee chair decides what to do with a bill (ignore?, bring it up?)
3 phases of a bill in committee…
hearings – listen & gather info
markup – subcommittee re-words the bill, makes amendments
report – back to full committee
Then on to the entire House or Senate