Scribd
Upload
248 views

How A Bill Becomes A Law (Ms. López's Example) : Chain-of-Events Graphic Organizer

The document outlines the 7 steps for how a bill becomes a law in the United States: 1) an idea is drafted as a bill and introduced in either the House or Senate, 2) the bill is officially introduced, 3) committees review and make changes to the bill, 4) subcommittees may further research the bill, 5) the bill is debated and can be amended, 6) the bill needs a majority vote in both the House and Senate, 7) the bill is sent to the President to be signed into law, vetoed, or automatically become law if no action is taken within 10 days.

Uploaded by

api-501092376
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
248 views

How A Bill Becomes A Law (Ms. López's Example) : Chain-of-Events Graphic Organizer

The document outlines the 7 steps for how a bill becomes a law in the United States: 1) an idea is drafted as a bill and introduced in either the House or Senate, 2) the bill is officially introduced, 3) committees review and make changes to the bill, 4) subcommittees may further research the bill, 5) the bill is debated and can be amended, 6) the bill needs a majority vote in both the House and Senate, 7) the bill is sent to the President to be signed into law, vetoed, or automatically become law if no action is taken within 10 days.

Uploaded by

api-501092376
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Chain-of-Events Graphic Organizer:

How a Bill Becomes a Law (Ms. López’s Example)


Step 1: Bills originate from an idea and that idea is then drafted by either the House of Representatives or
the Senate.

Step 2: After the bill has been drafted and the text has been written, a member of either the House of
Representatives or the Senate has to officially introduce the bill in Congress.
• The bill is introduced in the House of Representatives by putting them in special box called the
hopper.
• In the Senate, the bill is submitted to clerks on the Senate floor.

Step 3: The bill then goes to specific committees that review the bill (bills go to the appropriate
committees since each specialize in different areas of public policy). The House of Representatives has 19
committees while the Senate has 16 committees. In these committees, they research, talk about, and make any
changes to the bill (if any).

Step 4: If the bill needs to be further researched it will then go to a subcommittee where further research
will be done. Subcommittees are not always necessary, but if the House of Representatives want to do more
research on the topic, they may send the bill to a subcommittee or straight to the House or Senate for debate.
Step 5: The bill is now up for debate on the House or Senate floor. During these debates, the members of
the House or the Senate may propose any changes or amendments before making their final vote on the bill.

Step 6: For the bill to be approved and sent to the President there needs to be a majority vote in both the
House and the Senate.
If the bill was introduced by the House, a majority vote in the House of Representatives needs to occur before
the bill heads to the Senate.
If the bill was introduced by the Senate, a majority vote in the Senate needs to occur before the bill heads to
the House.

Step 7: Once the bill has been approved by both the House and the Senate, the bill is then sent to the
President. The president can do any of the following things once the bill is in his hands:
1. Sign the bill and officially make it into a law
2. The president may veto it which means that the bill will be returned to the House or the Senate who
may attempt to override the veto
3. The president may choose to not do anything. If no action is taken in 10 days, the bill automatically
becomes a law.
4. The president may perform a “pocket veto” which means that the bill does not become a law if
Congress adjourns during the 10-day waiting period.

You might also like