Understanding the Legislative Process in Congress

 
Chapter 5:
Congress: The Legislative Branch
Section 5:
The Legislative Process
(pg.149-155)
 
 
Bills in Congress
 
Laws start out as bills
introduced by members
of Congress
Ideas for bills come
from constituents,
interest groups, the
president and members
of Congress.
Only a member of
Congress can introduce
a bill for consideration.
 
 
Introducing Bills
 
Both senators and House
members introduce bills.
The one exception is that, tax bills
and appropriation bills have to
begin in the House.
In the House the bill is dropped
into a wooden box called a
hopper
.
In the Senate a senator hands the
paperwork to a clerk.
Thousands are submitted during
a session of Congress.
A 
private bill 
affects only a
particular person or group, and a
public bill 
affects all of society.
A bill may deal w/ a single topic
or many topics.
A 
rider
 may be added to a
popular bill to get something
unpopular to pass or a rider may
be added as a 
poison bill 
to stop
a popular bill from passing.
 
 
Other Types of Action
 
A 
joint resolution 
is much like a bill-
it follows the same procedures as a
bill and has the force of law if it
passed by both houses and signed
by the president.
They are used in out-of-the-ordinary
circumstances, like to propose
constitutional amendments.
Concurrent resolutions 
are used
when both houses address matters
that affect operations of both
chambers or express an opinion.
They are not signed by the president
and don’t have the force of law.
Each chamber can pass 
resolutions
that apply to matters of concern just
within that chamber, like election of
leadership or committee
assignments.
 
 
Bills in Committee
 
Committees act as a filter b/c
most bills die in committee.
A bill is assigned to a
committee by the Speaker in
the house and by the majority
leader in the Senate, this is
called 
referral
.
The next step is holding
hearings
, which are open to
the public.
The Chair of the committee or
subcommittee has the power
to control who appears at the
hearings and how the public
views the bill.
 
 
Bills in Committee
 
Following the hearing, a
subcommittee must report on the
bill to the full committee. They
may report favorably of
unfavorably (killing it)
The subcommittees can also
make amendments to the bill
The 
markup
 is a meeting of the
full committee and debate the bill
further. They can kill the bill or
they can include so many
amendments that the bill is a new
piece of legislation, called a 
clean
bill
.
In the House, the majority of
members may sign a 
discharge
petition
, forcing the bill out of
committee.
 
 
House Rules
 
As we saw in section 3 of this chapter
the House Rules Committee acts as a
“traffic cop.”
Most bills must pass through this
committee before reaching the full
House.
The rules assigned by the Rules
Committee govern how the bill can
be debated or amended by the full
House.
There are 3 main types: open, closed,
& modified rules.
They can also limit the debate on the
bill.
They can also kill the bill.
 
Bills can bypass the Rules Committee
if two-thirds of the House agrees to
suspend the rules
 
 
The Bill in the House
 
The 1
st
 step in the process is the
adoption of the rules put forward
by the Rules Committee.
The next step is to work as a
Committee of the Whole
. The
reason they may do this is b/c it
brings the 
quorum
 number down
from 218 to 100.
The Committee of the Whole
debates the bill and amendments
and they can add related
amendments (although they
don’t always relate to the bill).
The Committee of the Whole
can’t vote on the bill, it has to
dissolve and let the full house
vote.
Most important votes are usually
called record votes, which is
sometimes called a 
roll-call vote
.
 
 
The Bill in the Senate
 
The Senate doesn’t have a 
Rules
Committee
 nor do they use a
Committee of the Whole
.
The Senate doesn’t limit debate
or the right to offer amendments.
If a senator wants to place a limit
on the bill it requires the
unanimous consent of the
Senate.
This opens the door to 
filibuster
or the Senate can end debate
with three-fifths vote or 60
senators, on a 
cloture
 motion.
When they are done debating
they vote on the amendments &
the bill.
Important bills are often subject
to 
roll-call votes
.
 
 
The Conference Committee
 
For a bills to be sent to the
President they have to be passed
in identical form by both houses.
When there are major
differences, members of a
conference committee are drawn
from each chamber. The
conferees are chosen by the
leaders of both houses.
If they fail to reach an agreement
the bill dies, but usually at this
point the Conference Committee
come to a compromise.
The bill goes back to the floor of
both houses for debate and if it
passes both houses in it new
version, the bill goes to the
President’s desk.
 
 
Presidential Action on a Bill
 
The President can do three
things with a bill
1. The President can sign
the bill which makes it a
law.
2.The President can hold on
to the bill and if the
Congress ends its session
within 10 days the bill dies.
This is called a pocket veto.
3. The President may veto
the bill. President’s usually
have a veto message where
they explain their specific
objections.
 
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Bills in Congress start as ideas introduced by members and can come from various sources. Senators and House members introduce bills, with some exceptions. The process involves submitting bills, holding hearings, assigning bills to committees, and potential amendment and debate stages. Different types of actions, such as joint resolutions and concurrent resolutions, are also discussed in the legislative process. Committees act as filters for bills, as most bills die in committee if not advanced for further consideration.


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  1. Chapter 5: Congress: The Legislative Branch Section 5: The Legislative Process (pg.149-155)

  2. Bills in Congress http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l159/AmericanAlgora/Michigan%20American%20Legislative%20Exchange%20Council/ImJustaBillSchoolhouseRock.jpg Laws start out as bills introduced by members of Congress Ideas for bills come from constituents, interest groups, the president and members of Congress. Only a member of Congress can introduce a bill for consideration.

  3. Introducing Bills Both senators and House members introduce bills. The one exception is that, tax bills and appropriation bills have to begin in the House. In the House the bill is dropped into a wooden box called a hopper. In the Senate a senator hands the paperwork to a clerk. Thousands are submitted during a session of Congress. A private bill affects only a particular person or group, and a public bill affects all of society. A bill may deal w/ a single topic or many topics. A rider may be added to a popular bill to get something unpopular to pass or a rider may be added as a poison bill to stop a popular bill from passing. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dsa8SverCGw/TuqwUNX0r6I/AAAAAAAAAYQ/qqYD3uSp8mo/s1600/rider.png

  4. Other Types of Action http://solstice.ischool.utexas.edu/projects/images/b/b5/Joint_Resolution_1145.jpg A joint resolution is much like a bill- it follows the same procedures as a bill and has the force of law if it passed by both houses and signed by the president. They are used in out-of-the-ordinary circumstances, like to propose constitutional amendments. Concurrent resolutions are used when both houses address matters that affect operations of both chambers or express an opinion. They are not signed by the president and don t have the force of law. Each chamber can pass resolutions that apply to matters of concern just within that chamber, like election of leadership or committee assignments.

  5. Bills in Committee http://lowres.jantoo.com/law-policing-senate_hearings-hearings-committees-tortures-senate-16513476_low.jpg Committees act as a filter b/c most bills die in committee. A bill is assigned to a committee by the Speaker in the house and by the majority leader in the Senate, this is called referral. The next step is holding hearings, which are open to the public. The Chair of the committee or subcommittee has the power to control who appears at the hearings and how the public views the bill.

  6. Bills in Committee http://otherwords.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Un-Christian-Activities-Committee-Cartoon.jpg Following the hearing, a subcommittee must report on the bill to the full committee. They may report favorably of unfavorably (killing it) The subcommittees can also make amendments to the bill The markup is a meeting of the full committee and debate the bill further. They can kill the bill or they can include so many amendments that the bill is a new piece of legislation, called a clean bill. In the House, the majority of members may sign a discharge petition, forcing the bill out of committee.

  7. House Rules As we saw in section 3 of this chapter the House Rules Committee acts as a traffic cop. Most bills must pass through this committee before reaching the full House. The rules assigned by the Rules Committee govern how the bill can be debated or amended by the full House. There are 3 main types: open, closed, & modified rules. They can also limit the debate on the bill. They can also kill the bill. http://www.mahablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/bill-schoolhouse-rock.jpg Bills can bypass the Rules Committee if two-thirds of the House agrees to suspend the rules

  8. The Bill in the House The 1ststep in the process is the adoption of the rules put forward by the Rules Committee. The next step is to work as a Committee of the Whole. The reason they may do this is b/c it brings the quorum number down from 218 to 100. The Committee of the Whole debates the bill and amendments and they can add related amendments (although they don t always relate to the bill). The Committee of the Whole can t vote on the bill, it has to dissolve and let the full house vote. Most important votes are usually called record votes, which is sometimes called a roll-call vote. https://www.govtrack.us/static/images/img-voting-records.png

  9. The Bill in the Senate http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z205/JekyllnHyde_photos/August%2014%202012/filibuster.jpg The Senate doesn t have a Rules Committee nor do they use a Committee of the Whole. The Senate doesn t limit debate or the right to offer amendments. If a senator wants to place a limit on the bill it requires the unanimous consent of the Senate. This opens the door to filibuster or the Senate can end debate with three-fifths vote or 60 senators, on a cloture motion. When they are done debating they vote on the amendments & the bill. Important bills are often subject to roll-call votes.

  10. The Conference Committee For a bills to be sent to the President they have to be passed in identical form by both houses. When there are major differences, members of a conference committee are drawn from each chamber. The conferees are chosen by the leaders of both houses. If they fail to reach an agreement the bill dies, but usually at this point the Conference Committee come to a compromise. The bill goes back to the floor of both houses for debate and if it passes both houses in it new version, the bill goes to the President s desk. https://cdn.andertoons.com/img/toons/cartoon5327.png

  11. Presidential Action on a Bill The President can do three things with a bill 1. The President can sign the bill which makes it a law. 2.The President can hold on to the bill and if the Congress ends its session within 10 days the bill dies. This is called a pocket veto. 3. The President may veto the bill. President s usually have a veto message where they explain their specific objections. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4Y3MuWXqpUs/TBPRceqTXjI/AAAAAAAAAWM/GEl_nafqwZQ/s1600/07B+ChrisFlick-healthcare_bill.jpg

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