U.S. Congress: Typical Legislative Process

1. A BILL or RESOLUTION may be introduced in either house of Congress (in the House of Representatives or the Senate) by one or more of its respective members. NOTE: Bills for raising revenue or appropriating funds must originate in the House of Representatives.

2. The bill is referred to an appropriate congressional committee for study. The committee may hold HEARINGS, calling on experts and other concerned persons to offer their viewpoints on the proposed law.

3. After studying the bill, the committee may REPORT it back to the full house of Congress. The printed report summarizes the findings of the congressional committee, including a recommendation if the bill should be passed or not.

4. The whole house of Congress (either the House or Senate) votes on the bill.

5. If passed, the bill is then sent to the other house of Congress, where steps 1-4 above are repeated. If important differences between House and Senate legislation arise, a conference committee is established to resolve these. Another REPORT may be issued.

6. If passed by both houses of Congress, the bill (now referred to as an ACT of Congress) is sent to the President, who may sign the bill into law (i.e. PUBLIC LAW or P.L.) or veto it.

7. If the President vetoes the act, it will not become law unless the veto is overridden by a two-thirds vote of a quorum in each house of Congress.

8. A new law usually gives rule making authority to one or more federal agencies (such as the departments of Agriculture, Defense, or Education), which are responsible for carrying out the provisions of the law, known as administrative law. These executive agencies develop and administer new RULES, REGULATIONS, and programs to bring the law into effect. New and proposed rules and regulations of the federal government are published each business day in the Federal Register, as a means of informing the public and inviting input. Announcements of the availability of grants and other types of federal assistance also appear in the Federal Register.

24 February, 1998