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  How Laws Are Made

How Does a Bill Become a Law?
Begin
Propose
Introduce
Committee
Subcommittee
Report
Consider
Vote
Refer to Senate
Bill Is Enrolled
Law OR Veto
Veto Override
Committee Action cartoon


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.
  • The committee votes on the bill after it has been debated and/or amended.
  • A committee may stop action, or "table" a bill it deems unwise or unnecessary.
  • THOMAS, a Library of Congress website, posts the status of the bill and updates on major action taken on the bill. Each version of the text of a bill is posted on THOMAS, under Text of Legislation.
  • If the bill is not tabled, it will be sent either to a subcommittee for intensive study, or reported back to the House Floor.
 
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A Little Known Fact
High-school-aged Congressional Pages deliver important messages to Members in the House Chamber.

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Currently on the House Floor
History is being made right now on the House Floor!

Glossary Terms
Key Words
Use the glossary to learn key terms.

Act
Amendment
Bill
Calendar
Checks and Balances
Clean Bill
Committee of the Whole
Concurrent Resolution
Constituent
Constitution
Electronic Voting Machine
Engrossed Bill
Enrolled Bill
Hearing
Hopper
Joint Resolution
Jurisdiction
Law
Legislative Day
Line-Item Veto
Markup
Measure
Override (a veto)
Pocket Veto
Private Bill
Public Law
Quorum
Report
Resolution
Simple Resolution
Sine Die
Tabling Motion
Veto



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