Transcript Slide 1

The Lawmaking Process
Who’s who in this process?
Introduction

The process of a bill becoming a law is a long and complicated
process. Out of the thousands of bills introduced in Congress
each year, only a small handful ever make it to the President for
approval, and fewer still that are actually signed into law. So what
exactly does it take for a bill to become law? And what parts do
the House, Senate, committees, and specific individuals in
Congress play in this confounding process?
Representative



What role does a representative play in the
lawmaking process?
The life-cycle of a bill starts with a member
of congress (either a Representative or a
Senator). Often times, a Representative will
introduce a bill into legislation because he
(or she) promised to their specific region of
citizens that they would do so if they won
election to the House. So the idea for a bill
can arise from elsewhere, but the actual,
physical introduction of a bill ultimately
starts with a Representative (or Senator).
The House plays a large role in the
legislation process. Once a Representative
introduces a bill, it is passed on to a specific
committee relating to the bill. If the
committee approves the bill, it is moved on
to the rest of the House to approve it (or
kill it). If 2/3 of the House approves it,
then it is passed on to the Senate for
approval.
Senators



What role do Senators play in the
lawmaking process?
Senators play many roles in the
lawmaking process. For one, a Senator
can introduce a bill if he (or she) wants
to. A senator can also decide to not
approve a bill, and if 2/3 Senators don’t
vote for a bill, then the bill is killed.
When the Senate receives a bill from the
House, it either rejects the bill (killing it),
or it can amend that bill and send it back
to the House for approval. The Senate
can also approve a bill (with a 2/3 vote)
without attaching any amendments and,
if approved by the House as well (with a
2/3 vote), the bill is finally passed on to
the President for approval. If, at any time,
a bill fails to get a 2/3 vote from both the
House and the Senate, then the bill is
killed and is moved back to “square one”.
The President


What role does the President play
in the lawmaking process?
The President, perhaps, plays the
simplest, yet also the largest role in
the lawmaking process. Once a bill
has made it through the quagmire
of Congress, it is passed on to the
President for the last step in the
process: approval. If approved by
the President, the bill finally
becomes law. If vetoed, it does not
become law unless a 2/3 vote from
both the House and the Senate
override the veto.
Vice President



What role does the Vice
President have in the lawmaking
process?
The Vice President really plays
no role in the legislative process.
That is, he plays no part in the
actual debate in the House and
Senate floors that determines
whether a bill be passed on to
the President for approval. He
just signs the bill once it is ready
to be passed on to the President
for approval.
He can also serve as a tiebreaker voter in the approval
process, if need be.
Speaker of the House


What role does the Speaker
of the House play in the
lawmaking process?
The Speaker of the House
usually doesn’t take part in
the floor debates that take
place when the House and
Senate are deciding on
whether or not to pass a bill.
The Speaker is like the Vice
President, in that he (or she)
signs the bill if the bill ends
up making it to the President.
House Majority Leader


What role does the House
Majority Leader play in the
lawmaking process?
The House Majority Leader
serves, as one may guess, a
leader over both parties in
the Senate, orchestrating
proceedings, such as debate
on a bill, the name and size
of committees, and serving
as a floor leader.
House Minority Whip


What role does the House
Minority Whip play in the
lawmaking process?
A House Minority Whip
almost serves as a security
agent in the House. His job
in the legislative process is to
make sure that elected
Representatives are present
when important votes are
being taken, and also to make
sure that they vote according
to the party policy.
Lobbyist



What role does a Lobbyist play in the
lawmaking process?
Lobbyists aren’t very influential in the
actual lawmaking process, but they are
influential when they think a certain bill
should be introduced. The main
purpose of a lobbyist is to persuade a
member of congress to enact a bill that
they think should be introduced.
They are also, in a sense, the steppingstone between a normal citizen and a
member of congress. A citizen may
want a bill to be introduced that they
think would benefit them, so they take
their case to a lobbyist and then the
lobbyist will try and persuade a
Representative or a Senator to
introduce the proposed bill into
legislation.
Citizens



What role do citizens play in the
lawmaking process?
One may think that Citizens of the
United States have no role in the
lawmaking process. In fact, they
actually do have no role in the actual
process; however, they do have some
sway in what bills are introduced into
legislation by having the power to
vote for certain Representatives that
promise to introduce certain bills
into legislation. In that sense, they do
have some say in what bills are
introduced.
They can also pay a lobbyist to
persuade a member of Congress to
enact a bill if they think it will benefit
them.
Works Cited


"The Legislative Process." The Center On Congress.
Web. 4 Nov 2010.
<http://www.centeroncongress.org/backgroun
ders/the_legislative_process.php>.
"How a Bill Becomes a Law Board Game."
Families USA. Web. 7 Nov 2010.
<http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/toolsfor-advocates/tips/board-game.html>.
Picture Sources









http://www.usnews.com/listings/obamas-congressional-friends-and-foes/10-ericcantor
http://www.topnews.in/people/joe-biden
http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/2008/09/citizen_sting.html
http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2010/02/19/can-you-namemore-sitting-united-states-senators-than-l-magazine-film-criticrain-man-mark-asch
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/03/lawmakers-cry-jobs-to-pushthrough-bills/
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/revelation_in_extrenton_lobbyi.html
http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/whats-in-house-speaker-nancy-pelosisinvestment-accounts/
http://trueslant.com/rickungar/2009/09/30/why-no-entrance-examination-forcongress/capitol-building-picture/
http://www.mybanktracker.com/bank-news/2009/12/11/update-houserepresentatives-pass-financial-regulation-changes/