Transcript How a Bill Becomes a Law

How a Bill Becomes a Law
Chapter 6 Section 4
Key Terms
• Joint Resolution: A resolution that is passed by
both houses of Congress
• Special-Interest Group: An organization of people
with some common interest who try to influence
government decisions
• Rider: A completely unrelated amendment tacked
on to a bill
• Filibuster: A tactic for defeating a bill in the
Senate by talking until the bill’s sponsor
withdraws it
Key Terms cont.
• Cloture: A procedure used in the Senate to limit
debate on a bill
• Voice Vote: A voting method in which those in
favor say “yea” and those against say “no”
• Roll-Call Vote: A voting method in the Senate in
which members voice their votes in turn
• Veto: Refusal to sign a bill or resolution
• Pocket-Veto: President’s power to kill a bill, if
Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10
days
Types of Bills
• Congress’ job is to
pass laws
• More than 10,000 bills
are introduced each
term of Congress, only
several hundred will
become law
Types of Bills cont.
• Bills fall into 2 categories:
– Private bills: concern
individual people and
places. Deal with people’s
claims against the govt.
– Public bills: Apply to the
entire nation and involve
general matters:
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Taxes
Civil rights
Terrorism
Etc…
From Bill to Law
• Every bill starts with an idea:
– Come from members of
Congress
– Private citizens
– White House
– Special Interest Groups
• Bills can only be introduced by
senators or reps.
• Bills that involve money must
start in the House
• Bills are given a title and #
– S.1
– H.R. 1
Committee Action
• Committees receive far more bills than they
can process
• Chairperson decides what bills get
selected/ignored
Committee Action cont.
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Standing committees can kill
bills or give them life:
Committees can:
1. Pass bill without changes
2. Mark up a bill with changes
and suggest that it be passed
3. Replace original bill with a
new alternative
4. Ignore the bill and let it die
5. Kills the bill by majority vote
Full House or Senate can
overrule decisions
Floor Debate
• Bill approved in committee go to the full
House or Senate
• Bill are dealt with in the order they arrive
• Members argue pros and cons:
– Amendments discussed
Floor Debate cont.
• House:
– Accepts only amendments
related to bill
• Senate:
– Allows riders
• At times the Senate will
filibuster a bill
• Senate can end filibuster
when there is a vote of
cloture
Voting on a Bill
• Ways Congress votes:
– Voice vote
– Standing vote
– Computerized vote (House)
– Roll-call vote (Senate)
• Majority rule
• Passes in one house it is sent to
the other
• If either house rejects it, it dies
• Must be the identical in both
house to become law
Presidential Action
• After bill approved by
both house it goes to
president
• 4 things may happen:
– President signs it (law)
– President veto
– Do nothing for 10 days; if
Congress is in session it
becomes law
– Congress not in session; bill
dies (pocket veto)
Homework
• Worksheets #76-78