The Role Of Law In Congress

Bills are presented to Congress more often than you think, but only ten percent actually become laws. It’s not an easy process to pass a bill and there are quite a few steps. All laws in the United States begin as bills. Anyone can draft a bill but only a member of Congress can introduce legislation in Congress. The member who introduces the legislation is called the bills’ “Sponsor”. The first action a committee takes on a bill is to place it on the committee calendar. The bill goes to the full House of Representatives (called the "House Floor" for debate and consideration. When the bill reaches the Floor of the House, any member can speak about the bill, either in support or in opposition to the bill. Because the House has strict rules limiting the amount …show more content…
In addition to debate, Members are allowed to amend the bill for a final time. After the bill is debated and possibly amended, the House voted on the final bill. Each Member has an electronic identification card that is used for voting. The Member slides this card into a box which automatically reads the card. The Member then presses a button to case a "yes," "no," or "present" vote.
When the House passes the bill, it is sent to the Senate, who has a choice of introducing the bill or ignoring it. If a Senator introduces the bill, it will be sent to a committee and a subcommittee for a similar process as the House. Once the bill goes through a subcommittee and full committee, and then passes by majority vote on the Senate Floor, the legislation is sent to the President for a signature. When the legislation is passed