legsilative process

• step 1 introduction (initiation of bills)

  • Bills can be initiated by any member of Congress but are usually initiated by party leaders in Congress or committee chairs, often on behalf of the president.
  • Bills need to be signed by a sponsor - and there can be many co-sponsors.
• step 2- committee stage

  • After they have been initiated (the first reading) bills are passed on to the relevant committees (in both House and Senate) where they are debated and amended (or ‘marked up’).
  • Committees can choose whether or not to ‘hear’ a bill, and bills that are not heard will die in committee.
• step 3- floor debate and vote

  further amendments are possible

  votes are taken
• step 4 conference stage-

  • Legislation often has two different versions in the House and Senate that need to be reconciled.
  • A conference committee may be formed to reach a compromise, or congressional leadership may handle it.
  • The reconciled bill must pass a vote in both chambers; if it fails in one, it dies.
• step 5- president

  • Once a bill has passed all of these stages it must be signed into law by the president. A president has the power to veto (not sign) a bill and send it back to Congress.
  • A 2/3 vote in both chambers of Congress can override a veto, as happened to Obama in 2016 with the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.