In order for a bill to become a law, several steps must first be taken.
First, the legislation is introduced to either the House or the Senate.
Then, there is a Committee Action in which the bill is referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. Subcommittees meet and report to their committees, and hearings are held. A vote takes place.
Next, the bill is taken to the Floor, where it is put on the calendar and eventually debated and voted upon.
If the bill passes, members from each house form a conference committee to talk about the bill. Once the Conference Committee reaches a compromise, a report is written and submitted to each chamber. This report must be approved by both the House and the Senate.
THEN the bill is passed to the President for review. Once the President signs the bill, it is written as a law.
I used several sources for this, including Project Vote Smart:
http://www.votesmart.org/resource_govt101_02.php
Below is the link to a Lexis Nexis flow chart that illustrates this process. Lexis Nexis is a really useful tool to find information.
http://www.lexisnexis.com/help/CU/The_Legislative_Process/How_a_Bill_Becomes_Law.htm
Finally, I would highly recommend you check out the Schoolhouse Rock video below. This is a fun way to learn the process of how a bill becomes a law.
http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ
I found these resources by searching "how a bill becomes a law" in Google.
Bills have to go through both chambers of the US Congress before they can be signed into law by the President. The bill can originate from either chamber, committees in the chambers, and from the President.
I don't think there's anything the president can't do after a bill has passed both chambers of Congress? He can sign it into law or he can veto it and send it back to Congress
In the United States, both houses of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, pass laws before they can be presented to the president. The bill must be approved by a majority vote in both chambers of Congress before it can be sent to the president for final approval or veto.
To ensure that ta bill is not thrown out even if it is unpopular with the president, the Congress can override the president's veto by a vote of two-thirds in both chambers.
After it has been approved by a Senate majority vote.
A bill must be passed by both chambers of Congress to become law. If vetoed by the President, it must be re-passed with a 2/3 majority to override that veto. How a bill becomes a LawA bill is first introduced in either chamber of the US Congress (House or Senate). The bill must pass in that chamber before it is sent to the other chamber, usually by simple majority of the members present although delaying tactics, filibusters, or procedural devices may require a 60% or greater vote to get the bill passed. Once the bill arrives at the other chamber, that chamber considers and votes on the bill as well. If the second chamber modifies the bill before passing it, appointed members from each of the the two chambers must get together in a Conference Committee, to work out the differences and agree on a compromise resolution. The compromise resolution is then reconsidered in both chambers and voted on again. If the compromise bill is passed by both chambers, it is sent to the President for his signature. If the President signs the bill, or does not sign it within 10 days while the Congress is in session, the bill becomes law. If the President does not sign the bill within 10 days and the Congress has adjourned, the bill does not become law (a "pocket veto"). If the President vetoes the bill within 10 days, the bill goes back to the two chambers the Congress. If each of the two chambers can vote by at least two-thirds majority to override the President's veto, then the bill becomes law, despite his attempted veto.The passage of Amendments to the Constitution follow a different set of rules.
To make a bill a law, the president signs it. However, if the president takes no action before the time for the president's action expires, and Congress is still in session, the bill automatically becomes law.
"pocket veto"
president
a standing committee.
A bill can be sent to the president for approval after both the House and the Senate pass the bill.A bill can only be sent to the President for approval if it has been passed by both the House and the Senate. It must be passed by both chambers of Congress with a majority in favor of it.
Before a law is a law it is called a Bill.