When the hearings and subcommittee review are completed, the committee will meet to " mark up " the bill. They make changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the " floor ". If a committee votes not to report legislation to the full chamber of Congress, the bill dies. If the committee votes in favor of the bill, it is reported to the floor.
This procedure is called " ordering a bill reported ". Once the bill reaches the floor, there is additional debate and members of the full chamber vote to approve any amendments. The bill is then passed or defeated by the members voting. When the House or Senate passes a bill, it is referred to the other chamber, where it usually follows the same route through committees and finally to the floor.
This chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it or change it. Congress may form a conference committee to resolve or reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. If the conference committee is unable to reach an agreement, the bill dies. If an agreement is reached, the committee members prepare a conference report with recommendations for the final bill. Both the House and Senate must vote to approve the conference report. After both the House and Senate have approved a bill in identical form, the bill is sent to the President.
If the President approves of the legislation, it is signed and becomes law. If the President takes no action for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law.
If the President opposes the bill, they may veto the bill. In addition, if no action is taken for 10 days and Congress has already adjourned , there is a " pocket veto ". A public bill is one that affects the general public. Proposal of a Bill After the idea for a bill is developed and the text of the bill is written, a Member of Congress must officially introduce the bill in Congress by becoming the bill's sponsor.
Representatives usually sponsor bills that are important to them and their constituents. Representatives who sponsor bills will try to gain support for them, in hopes that they will become laws. Two or more sponsors for the same bill are called co-sponsors. Introduction of a Bill Bills can be introduced whenever the House is in session.
In the House, bills are officially introduced by placing them in a special box known as the hopper, which is located at the rostrum, or Speaker's platform. In the Senate, a bill is introduced by placing it on the presiding officer's desk or by formally introducing it on the Senate Floor.
In the House, a bill clerk assigns the bill a number. House bills begin with "H. Res," depending what type they are. Senate bills begin with "S. The bill is then referred to a committee for markup. The Library of Congress then receives an electronic copy of the bill and posts the bill and its status on Congress Bill Search , a public website. Committee Action The bill is referred to the appropriate committee. The 19 House standing committees and 16 Senate committees each have jurisdiction over different areas of public policy, such as agriculture, education and the workforce, and international relations.
The bill is placed on the committee's calendar. The committee debates on and marks up the proposed bill, and may or may not make changes to it.
Committee members vote to accept or reject the changes made during the markup session. If a bill includes many amendments, the committee may decide to introduce a "clean bill" with a new number. A committee may stop action, or "table" a bill it deems unwise or unnecessary. Congress Bill Search , a Library of Congress website, posts the status of the bill and updates on major action taken on the bill.
If the bill is not tabled, it will be sent either to a subcommittee for intensive study, or reported back to the House Floor. Subcommittee Action The bill is referred to a subcommittee, and placed on its calendar. The bill is carefully studied. The subcommittee may hold hearings to obtain the views of experts, supporters, and opponents. The bill is tabled when the subcommittee deems it unwise or unnecessary. If changes are needed, the subcommittee will meet to mark up the bill.
Subcommittee members vote to accept or reject the changes. The courts have held, however, that this requirement can be satisfied by reading the bill's title. Upon introduction, the bill's title is read a first and second time in the Senate and is read once in the House.
The bill is then ordered to be printed. A bill cannot be passed or become law until it has been printed or reproduced and in the possession of each house for at least five days.
Referral to Committee Upon introduction, a bill is also referred to a standing committee in the Senate by the Majority Leader and in the House of Representatives by the Speaker of the House. All bills involving an appropriation must be referred either directly to the appropriations committee or to an appropriate standing committee and then to the appropriations committee.
Committee Review Committee members consider a bill by discussing and debating the bill. The committee may also hold public hearings on the bill. Committee Action A standing committee may act on a bill in various ways.
The committee may:. In the cases of d and e, the bill, upon being reported from committee, is tabled on the floor temporarily removed from consideration. A majority vote of the members present and voting in the house where the bill is tabled is required to remove the bill from the table before it may be given further consideration.
In both houses, a majority vote of the members serving on a committee is necessary to report a bill. If a committee fails to report a bill, a motion to discharge the committee from consideration of the bill may be offered in the house having possession of the bill. If this motion is approved by a vote of a majority of the members elected and serving, the bill is then placed in position on the calendar for floor action.
In the House, at least a one-day prior notice of the motion to discharge must be given to the Clerk of the House. Committee Reports If a bill is reported from committee favorably with or without amendment or in the form of a substitute bill, the committee report is printed in the journal under the order of business entitled "Reports of Standing Committees" in the House. On being reported favorably from committee, the bill and recommended committee amendments if any are placed on the order of "General Orders" in the Senate.
In the House, the bill and amendments are referred to the order of "Second Reading. Amendments to the bill maybe offered by any member when the bill is being considered at this stage of the legislative process.
In the Senate, a simple majority of members present and voting may recommend adoption of amendments to the bill and recommend a bill be advanced to Third Reading. In the House, amendments may be adopted by a majority serving, and a majority voting may advance the bill to Third Reading. In the House, a bill may be placed on Third Reading for a specified date. Third Reading While there are provisions in the House Rules and the Senate Rules for reading bills unless exception is made, in practice, bills are not read in full in either chamber.
In both houses, amendments must be approved by a majority vote of the members serving and the previous question maybe moved and debate cut off by a vote of a majority of the members present and voting. At the conclusion of Third Reading, the bill is either passed or defeated by a roll call vote of the majority of the members elected and serving pursuant to the State Constitution, approval of certain measures requires a "super majority" of a two-thirds or three-fourths vote or one of the following four options is exercised to delay final action on the bill: a the bill is returned to committee for further consideration; b consideration of the bill is postponed indefinitely; c consideration is postponed until a certain date; or d the bill is tabled.
Following either passage or defeat of a bill, a legislator may move for reconsideration of the vote by which the bill was passed or defeated. A motion to reconsider can be made for any question. In the Senate, the motion for reconsideration must be made within the following two session days; in the House, the motion must be made within the next succeeding session day.
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