How a Bill Becomes a Law
In our society Americans need to follow laws so that we are all safe. But how are these laws created? It is actually a pretty complicated process!
Laws do not just come out of thin air. They begin as something called a “bill.” A bill is a proposed law. This means that it is a suggestion or an idea. A bill can be proposed in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, but both houses of Congress have to agree on the bill in order for it to become an official law. If they disagree they need to compromise on a single bill. If they are unable to do this, the bill fails.
Once this happens, the bill goes to the U.S. President. He or she has the opportunity to examine the bill. If the president thinks the bill is good he/she can sign it and it becomes a law. If the president does not like the bill he/she can veto it - this means the president is trying to prevent the bill from being passed. The bill then goes back to Congress. If ⅔ of both houses agree that they still want to pass the bill they can override the veto and the bill becomes law.
Laws do not just come out of thin air. They begin as something called a “bill.” A bill is a proposed law. This means that it is a suggestion or an idea. A bill can be proposed in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, but both houses of Congress have to agree on the bill in order for it to become an official law. If they disagree they need to compromise on a single bill. If they are unable to do this, the bill fails.
Once this happens, the bill goes to the U.S. President. He or she has the opportunity to examine the bill. If the president thinks the bill is good he/she can sign it and it becomes a law. If the president does not like the bill he/she can veto it - this means the president is trying to prevent the bill from being passed. The bill then goes back to Congress. If ⅔ of both houses agree that they still want to pass the bill they can override the veto and the bill becomes law.
To Summarize....
The process starts when a Bill is proposed by a Senator or Congressman. Then the House and the Senate pass their respective, or separate bills. Then the House and the Senate meet in committee to create a compromise bill. Then the Compromise bill needs to go back to the House and the Senate to be passed by both the House and Senate. Then the President signs a bill into law or vetoes the law.