The US lawmaking process involves input from various branches of government and citizens. Anyone can devise legislation, but only members of Congress can introduce it. The bill is sent to committee for examination and recommendations before voting and debate. If passed by both houses, it goes to the president for signature or veto.
The process of creating a law in the United States is relatively simple. The system encourages input from a range of branches of government, as well as citizens, ensuring that the lawmaking process is beneficial to the country as a whole. Understanding the lawmaking process can make it easier for citizens to be more active in their government.
The first step in making a law is to visualize the law and present it to the House or Senate. Anyone can devise legislation, but only members of Congress can actively introduce legislation. For example, a civilian committee might approach their senator about introducing legislation, or the executive branch might propose a bill. A member of the legislature may also independently introduce a bill because she believes that a law on a particular issue will benefit the American people.
A Senator or Congressman writes the bill and formally introduces it, at which point he is considered a sponsor. In some cases, a bill has multiple co-sponsors, suggesting that it is a cooperative effort that represents the wishes of multiple constituencies.
Once a bill is introduced, it is sent to committee. Both the House and Senate have numerous committees dealing with issues from natural resources to the military, so a bill related to changes in tax law, for example, would be sent to the Tax Committee. Once in the commission, the bill is examined by the commission members. They can choose to introduce it, which means the bill essentially dies, or they can make recommendations and drop the bill on the floor for a vote. This step is important, because it gathers input from the committee and organizations that may have input into the text of the law. In the above case, for example, committee members could hold hearings that include members of the Internal Revenue Service to discuss the proposed changes.
Voting and debate are the next steps in making a law. Once the committee has recommended a bill, it can be further discussed and amended until a vote is taken. If the bill passes, it goes to the other house of Congress, where the whole process repeats. If both the Senate and the House pass a bill, it is sent to the president for signature. Most commonly, both houses pass the bill with variations, forcing a joint committee to reach an agreement somewhere in between. With a contentious legislature, the efforts of this joint committee can be a crucial aspect of creating a law.
When a law is sent to the president, he or she can either sign it, indicating approval, or veto it, rejecting the law and asking Congress to rewrite it. If the president does nothing for 10 days, the bill automatically becomes law. If Congress adjourns before the 10-day period expires, the result is a “pocket veto” and the bill does not become law. The whole process can be expedited in a few days with major legislation, or it can be dragged out for an extended period of time as the law bounces between houses and committees.
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