Aim: How does a Bill Become a Law?
Do Now: Review, how does each branch of
government check the others?
Here’s How a Bill Becomes a Law…
Step One: Idea
Step Two: Introduced
• A senator or member of the House of Representatives
introduces the bill in their house in Congress.
Step Three: Bill Sent to Appropriate
Committee
• Bill is sent to a small group of lawmakers who specialize in a topic.
For example, if it were a bill about using red light cameras at traffic
lights, it would go to the Transportation Committee. (Bill can be
changed, sent to sub-committee, or killed)
Step 4: Bill sent to sub-committee
• Bill can be sent to an even smaller group of lawmakers
within a committee called a sub-committee. In the
Transportation Committee, there might be a traffic signs
sub-committee. (Bill can be changed, sent back to
committee, or kill bill).
Step 5: Bill Sent back to Committee
• Once the committee gets the bill back from subcommittee, they can change bill, send it back to
sub-committee again, or kill bill.
Step 6: House of Reps. Floor Debate
• All members of the House of Representatives debate
bill. (Roughly 435 people!) The bill can be changed
(amended), sent back to committee or killed.
Step 7: House of Reps Votes on the Bill
• All members of the House of Representatives
vote yes or no.
Step 8: Send the Bill to the Senate to
Repeat the Process
• The Bill goes through the same steps in the Senate. A
floor debate followed by a vote of all senators, yes or
no. The Senate may Filibuster a bill as well.
Step 9: Joint Committee
• If there are differences between the Senate bill and
the House of Rep. bill, it is sent to joint committee
(with members from the Senate and House) to settle
the differences.
Step 10: The President’s Desk
• The president that can sign the bill into law or
veto bill (kill bill).
Step 11: Override the Veto, if necessary
• If the president vetoes bill, Congress can override the veto
with 2/3 of each house of Congress. Both the Senate and
the House of Reps need 2/3 of members to override veto.
• http://quizlet.com/7649994/how-a-bill-becomes-a-law-flash-cards/