Bill Becomes a Law Essay

Submitted By survo202
Words: 550
Pages: 3

When a bill becomes a law it's a very long process that could take years to get done. "When a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in hopes of getting their support for it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced." [1] When a senator or a representative introduces a bill it goes to the clerk of the Senate or House depending on who introduces the bill. After the bill goes to the clerk it's then given a number and a title. After all of this happens the bill goes to the appropriate committee who will review the bill. There are a lot of committees who specialize in different areas, such as foreign relations or agriculture. These committees are made up of small groups of senators or representatives. The committee can decide to reject the bill and “table” it, which means they will never discus it again. This is where a lot of bill die and we never hear about them again. If somehow the bill doesn't die they could hold hearings to listen to facts and opinions. They could make changes in the bill and cast votes. This is where some give and take happens and "pork barrel" happens a lot of the times. A senator or representatives may not like it but to get what they want they will vote for it. If most of the committee members vote in favor of the bill the bill then goes back to the Senate or House for debate. The Senate and house debate and vote on the bill and then could try to add more "pork barrel" to the bill where it now is loaded with even more stuff. If the Senate and House have same bill but different amendments the bill will go to a conference committee which is made up of Congress members. After this happens the bill goes to Congress for another vote. This whole process can take a lot time depending on