How to Track US Legislation and Congress
Introduce a bill., Refer the bill to an appropriate committee., Review the bill in committee and/or subcommittee., Mark up the bill., Report the bill., Debate the bill., Vote on the bill., Repeat the process in the other chamber of Congress., Allow...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Introduce a bill.
Any congressperson or senator can introduce a bill to their respective chamber of the legislature.When a bill is introduced, the person introducing it will be considered the bill's sponsor, and the bill will receive a number.If a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives, it will receive an "H.R." designation.If a bill is introduced in the Senate, it will receive an "S." designation., Once a bill has been introduced in either the Senate or the House, it will be referred to an appropriate committee within that legislative chamber.The specific committee a bill will be referred to will depend on the subject of the bill, the chamber of the legislature it was introduced in, and the rules that must be followed.
For example, assume a bill is introduced in the Senate, and the subject of the bill is education, and the rules state that the Parliamentarian will choose the committee it gets referred to.
If this is the case, the bill is likely to be referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions., Once a bill is referred to a committee, it will be put on the committee's calendar.When a bill is up for consideration in a committee, the committee may choose to refer the bill to a subcommittee or it may choose to debate the bill itself.If a bill is passed on to a subcommittee, that subcommittee will review the bill and determine its chances of success.If a committee does not act on a bill, it will die and another bill will have to be introduced., Once a subcommittee or full committee has had a chance to review the bill, the committee or subcommittee will usually hold public hearings about the bill.At public hearings, committee members will hear oral testimony from people about the bill.After the public hearings are done, the committee or subcommittee will take part in what is known as the "mark-up session."During the mark-up session, committee members will look at the bill, the testimony, and any other information they have, and they will amend the bill if they feel it is necessary., Once a bill has been reviewed and marked up, the committee or subcommittee will vote on the bill.A committee may vote to table a bill or report it.If a committee votes to table a bill, that means the committee will take no further action on the bill and it will not be referred along.If this happens, the bill will die and a new bill will have to be introduced.
If a committee votes to report a bill, a Committee Report will be written.A Committee Report describes the purpose and scope of the bill and the reasons for recommended approval., Once a bill has been reported, it will be put on the Senate or House calendar, depending on where the bill originated.When a bill's date comes, the bill will be introduced to the entire chamber of the legislature where the bill originated, and that chamber will debate the bill., Once a bill has been debated in one of the chambers of the legislature, that chamber will vote on the bill.After the vote, the bill will either have passed or been defeated.If a bill is defeated, it will be considered dead and a new bill will have to be introduced.
If a bill is approved, it will be referred to the other chamber of Congress. , Once a bill is referred to the other chamber of Congress, the entire process discussed above will be repeated, this time in the other chamber.If, after the process is completed, the bill is defeated, the bill will be considered dead and a new bill will have to be introduced.
If, after the process is completed, the bill is approved, it will be sent to the President of the United States of America., Once a bill has been approved by both chambers of Congress, the President will have to sign the bill into law or veto the bill. -
Step 2: Refer the bill to an appropriate committee.
-
Step 3: Review the bill in committee and/or subcommittee.
-
Step 4: Mark up the bill.
-
Step 5: Report the bill.
-
Step 6: Debate the bill.
-
Step 7: Vote on the bill.
-
Step 8: Repeat the process in the other chamber of Congress.
-
Step 9: Allow the President to make a decision.
Detailed Guide
Any congressperson or senator can introduce a bill to their respective chamber of the legislature.When a bill is introduced, the person introducing it will be considered the bill's sponsor, and the bill will receive a number.If a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives, it will receive an "H.R." designation.If a bill is introduced in the Senate, it will receive an "S." designation., Once a bill has been introduced in either the Senate or the House, it will be referred to an appropriate committee within that legislative chamber.The specific committee a bill will be referred to will depend on the subject of the bill, the chamber of the legislature it was introduced in, and the rules that must be followed.
For example, assume a bill is introduced in the Senate, and the subject of the bill is education, and the rules state that the Parliamentarian will choose the committee it gets referred to.
If this is the case, the bill is likely to be referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions., Once a bill is referred to a committee, it will be put on the committee's calendar.When a bill is up for consideration in a committee, the committee may choose to refer the bill to a subcommittee or it may choose to debate the bill itself.If a bill is passed on to a subcommittee, that subcommittee will review the bill and determine its chances of success.If a committee does not act on a bill, it will die and another bill will have to be introduced., Once a subcommittee or full committee has had a chance to review the bill, the committee or subcommittee will usually hold public hearings about the bill.At public hearings, committee members will hear oral testimony from people about the bill.After the public hearings are done, the committee or subcommittee will take part in what is known as the "mark-up session."During the mark-up session, committee members will look at the bill, the testimony, and any other information they have, and they will amend the bill if they feel it is necessary., Once a bill has been reviewed and marked up, the committee or subcommittee will vote on the bill.A committee may vote to table a bill or report it.If a committee votes to table a bill, that means the committee will take no further action on the bill and it will not be referred along.If this happens, the bill will die and a new bill will have to be introduced.
If a committee votes to report a bill, a Committee Report will be written.A Committee Report describes the purpose and scope of the bill and the reasons for recommended approval., Once a bill has been reported, it will be put on the Senate or House calendar, depending on where the bill originated.When a bill's date comes, the bill will be introduced to the entire chamber of the legislature where the bill originated, and that chamber will debate the bill., Once a bill has been debated in one of the chambers of the legislature, that chamber will vote on the bill.After the vote, the bill will either have passed or been defeated.If a bill is defeated, it will be considered dead and a new bill will have to be introduced.
If a bill is approved, it will be referred to the other chamber of Congress. , Once a bill is referred to the other chamber of Congress, the entire process discussed above will be repeated, this time in the other chamber.If, after the process is completed, the bill is defeated, the bill will be considered dead and a new bill will have to be introduced.
If, after the process is completed, the bill is approved, it will be sent to the President of the United States of America., Once a bill has been approved by both chambers of Congress, the President will have to sign the bill into law or veto the bill.
About the Author
Susan Perez
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: