Infographic Template Galleries

Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 1st Reading Send to StandingCommittee 3 Main Optionswith bill Rules Committee 2nd Reading 3rd Reading Vote on bill Sent to other Chamberrepeat 1-7 ConferenceCommittee Sent to POTUS How Bills Become Laws! The Journey Through Congress The first action taken once a bill is placed inthe hopper, (a box for new bills by clerk's desk) is that the clerk numbers,titles, and writes a short summary of the bill. Bills in the Houseare money bills, ones about governmentspending. The bill is then sent to a standing committee whichis a permanent committee that meets regularly.90% of the work on the bill is done here, while 90%of the proposed bills end here. The committee has a few options, they canRecommend a "Do Pass"- bill goes to floor.They can Kill it- bill dies.They can pigeonhole it- Hold it in committee.Or they can Recommend a "Do Not Pass"- a rarely used option-bill goes to floor. The bill is then sent to the Rules Committee,which is nicknamed the "traffic cop" due toit's goal to see what rule the bill will fall underin debate. The Senate's Rules committee doesnot have the power to influence terms of debate. The bill is read for a 2nd time in order to debate. By this time, it is possible that the bill has been in the process for months. The third reading of the bill is where the debate happens.Some riles of debate are that the personmust stand and can only hold the floor for an hour.The person sponsoring the bill begins the debate. Filibustering can occur when a person controls the floor for as long as they are able to stand and continue to debate, there are some notable filibustershave occurred, the longest was for over 24 hours.However, cloture rule can be used to end a filibuster, with a 3/5 vote. Voting on a bill includes voting on any offeredamendments. There are different proceduresused in voting. The most common is voice voting"ayes/nays" are heard by Speaker who callsresult. If there's a discrepancy then a standing vote can be taken. Another option if teller votes, where each party has a teller who collects votesfrom members. The last way is a roll-call votewhich can be called by 1/5 of present members. A simple majority vote is needed to pass anamendment, (50%+1) of the people. Having gotten this far, the bill then goes to the otherchamber, the Senate, and repeats steps 1-7. This occurs because of checks and balances, if the House alone or the Senate alone could independently pass legislation, said bill could be more favorable to a specific agenda and would lack the essentialconcept of Democracy of Checks and Balances. A Conference Committee is a committee put together for the purpose of resolvingdisagreements of a particular bill. Throughoutthis process, it is likely that the bill has been amended multiple times, meaning it is different fromit's original version, this is the reason it must go to Conference Committee. The main concern is that the bill must be identical between the House and the Senate and the Conference Committee is essential in that process. The revised and accepted bill is then sent to the President of The United States, the President hasfour options with the bill:1. Sign it- bill becomes a law2. Veto it- Dies- but can be overridden with a 2/3vote in both House and Senate.3. Pocket Veto- If after 10 days(excluding Sunday)and Congress adjourns, then bill dies.4. Hold it- Doesn't sign within 10 days, then bill becomes law without President's signature.
Create Your Free Infographic!