How a Bill Becomes Law, Essay Example

Laws are voted into existence by Congress, which has the authority to pass legislation from a Bill. Proposed legislation is a result of ideas, events or needs that originate from the public, the government or as a result of some action in society (American Government 2008), such as the Civil Rights Law of 1964 being signed into existence as a result of unequal treatment for America’s black citizens. Following are the steps a Bill takes to becoming a law in the United States.

Introduction, Committee Consideration and Floor Action

The first step in turning a Bill into a law is the introduction of the Bill by a member or members of Congress. Introducing the legislation of the Bill to be put on the floor is addressed to the House and/or the Senate. From there, the Bill is analysed by a consideration committee for voting to send the Bill to the floor for appropriate action. On the floor, is where the Bill is either passed to the Rules Committee to write regulation for the Bill, or it moves immediately to the floor for debate (NSBA n.d.).

Debate and Conference Committee

When the Bill gets to the debate stage, the Rules Committee sets a time limit on the floor debate in the House, and this is where the Bill is assigned its rules and added-on amendments, which could include a gag rule if no amendments are made. In the House, the members are allowed to limit what they say about the Bill. In the Senate, there are no amendment restrictions or time limits on the debating, which could result in a filibuster, if a Senator refuses to stop talking. In both the House and the Senate, a majority vote is required for the Bill to pass (American Government 2008).

Conference Committees

Legislation passed by the House and the Senate is usually different, if amendments were made. Therefore, in this case, both the House and the Senate versions of the Bill passage are sent to the conference committees to settle the differences (NSBA n.d.). In order for a Bill to go on to become a law, any differences must be discussed and a compromise agreed upon, which sends the Bill back to the House floor and the Senate floor, and both must pass it before the president signs it into law (American Government 2008).

From Bill to Law

After both the House and the Senate pass the Bill and it is sent to the president, the president can either sign it into law or veto it. If he vetoes the Bill, then it must go back to Congress. At which point, the Bill expires unless both the House and Senate have a two-thirds majority vote to override the president’s veto (NSBA n.d.).

Conclusion

It is evident that the journey a Bill takes to becoming a law is a long one, and the process is highly involved with members of the House and the Senate charged with an important task. According to the NSBA, making the decision to pass a Bill into law is not easy and it is not a matter of just pulling tabs out of a hat. It is a very intricate process that involves considering budgets, appropriations, government programs, current legislature, resources, etc. Therefore, the authorization of turning a Bill into law is one of the most important aspects of the American government.