How A BillBecomes A Law

Types of BillsTypes of Bills

• Private bills

• Public bills 30%

• Resolutions

• Joint resolutions

• Concurrent resolutions

• Riders

Private BillsPrivate Bills

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

Public BillsPublic Bills

• General matters

• Apply to the entire nation

• About 30% of all bills

Simple ResolutionsSimple Resolutions

• Affects only the one house of Congress that passed it.

• Used to change procedural rules, etc.

• Do not need President’s signature

Joint ResolutionsJoint 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 ResolutionsConcurrent 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 LawsFew Bills Become LawsOnly about 5% of bills become lawsWhy???

– 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

Writing A Bill

Who writes a bill???• Congressman

• Staff

• Interest groups

Introducing A Bill

House of Representatives

• 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

Group work

• Fill out worksheet dealing with video we saw yesterday.

• Follow the instructions on the sheet of paper I hand out.

• Turn in worksheet by end of class to me!

• Bill is assigned to subcommittee

• Hearings

• “Pigeonholing” to kill bills

• Make changes in bill

• Rewrite the bill

• Recommend that the bill be adopted

Committee ActionsCommittee Actions

Reporting the BillReporting the Bill

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

Debate on the FloorDebate on the Floor

• Usually most of “debate” has occurred in the committees

• Things are added:– Amendments– Riders– Earmarks

RidersRiders

Attached to a bill

but

have nothing to do with

the bill

but

benefit the entire nation.

Example:

The new healthcare bill had a rider that changed the system for providing federal loans to college students.

RidersRiders

EarmarksEarmarks• 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.

RidersRiders

Final Steps for BillsFinal Steps for Bills

• Voting

• Conference Committees

• Voting again

Final StepFinal Step

• Bill is “registered”

• Given a number

Then the bill is finally sent to the President.

Presidential ActionsPresidential Actions

• May sign bill

• May let it sit for 10 days– If Congress is in session, it becomes law

without signature– If Congress is not in session, it dies (Pocket

Veto)

• Veto

Overriding a VetoOverriding a Veto

• Requires 2/3 vote in both houses

of Congress to override

• Very difficult to override vetoes

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/President_Kennedy_signs_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Treaty,_07_October_1963.jpg