National laws are made in Congress, the legislative branch made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. US laws begin as bills, and any member of Congress can introduce one. The person or persons who introduce a bill are the sponsors. A law can originate in either the Senate or the House of Representatives, with some exceptions, but a bill must go through several steps to become law.
How Does a Bill Become Law?
First, a senator or representative drafts the proposed law, though the actual writing is often done by congressional staff or attorneys. The bill is then introduced in either the Senate or the House of Representatives and is given a number with a prefix: “H.R.” signifies a House bill and “S.” a Senate bill. The bill is then sent to a standing committee: a small group of legislators who study and report on bills. Sometimes a bill is referred to multiple committees.
While in committee, amendments are often adopted or rejected, and then the chair of the committee can call for a vote to advance the bill. If successful, the bill then goes to the entire body of the House or the Senate, or the bill essentially “dies” in committee; many bills don’t even make it past the committee stage.
The bill is then scheduled for a vote by the Senate or the House. Notably, members of Congress don’t vote on every bill introduced. When the House or the Senate passes a bill, it is then referred to the other chamber, where it usually follows the same route through committee and floor action. That chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, or amend it and then pass it. A bill may go through several revisions and look different from the sponsored bill by the time it reaches a final vote. Sometimes, if enough changes are made, the bill may get resubmitted with a different H.R. or S. number.
Once a bill is passed in both the Senate and House, it goes to the president. If he signs the bill, it becomes law. After 10 days, if the president still has not signed the bill, it may also become law. If the president vetoes (rejects) the bill, it can still become law if two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House vote in favor of the bill. But Congress rarely has enough votes to override a presidential veto.
