Review on How a Bill Becomes a Law
I. Bill Introduction Less than 10% actually pass Most originate in the executive branch Bills can be introduced in either house, except for revenue bills, which must originate in the House Power is diffused: proponents need many victories, but opponents need only one. This was the intent of the Founders: to create a cautious & deliberate process Two-step legislative process: 1) authorization allows for a bill; 2) appropriation provides the money for the program II. Committee action Important to get the bill to the “correct” committee; one way to kill a bill is to have it sent to an inappropriate committee Subcommittees perform studies, hold hearings, and make revisions; if approved bills go to the full committee Committee actions o Can also amend or rewrite bills o Recommend bills approval or Kill it Pigeonhole (simply refusing to do anything with the bill) is the most frequent fate of a bill Discharge petition can be used when a bill is bottled up in committee Importance of Rules Committee o Serves as a “traffic cop”: sets legislative calendar o Issues open rule that allows amendments to a bill or closed rule that prohibits such amendments (esp. used on tax bills) o Establishes rules on floor debate
III. Floor action Only the Senate allows filibusters because it has no rules and a history of unlimited debate. These are esp. effective at the end of term of Congress. Can be ended by a 3/5 or 60 vote of cloture Only the Senate allows nongermane amendments (also known as “riders”; these are amendments which aren’t related to the topic of the bill). “Christmas tree” bills can result: bills with many “ornaments” or provisions that are not related to the bill Senate allows any member to place a hold on a bill or presidential nomination o This is not in the Constitution (neither is filibuster), but another ex. of a Senate tradition o Use has been expanded in the 1990s as a tactic to kill bills and esp. judicial nominations IV. Conference committee action Comprised of members from both houses and is temporary Reconciles different House-Senate versions of a bill, then send it back to each house for a vote V. Presidential action Sign the bill in full Veto the bill in full (can be overridden by a 2/3 vote in both houses) Ignore the bill o After 10 days, the bill will automatically become law o If within that 10 day period Congress adjourns (not recesses), the bill is “pocket-vetoed” and cannot be overridden Congress gave the president a line item veto in the mid90s; however, this was declared unconstitutional as a violation of separation of powers (Clinton v. N.Y. 1998); the Court declared that the use of the line item veto would have enabled the president to legislate, a function reserved only for Congress. Most Governors have a line item veto power.