How a Bill Becomes a Law

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Once the bill has been debated long enough, it is finally voted on. There are many different ways that can be used to vote on a bill. The procedure that is used for bill that are not as important is called the voice vote where members of Congress call out “yea” or “nay” and whichever one is louder is the way the bill is passed. A vote in which members stand and are counted is called division voting. (normally voice voting or division voting are preferred by the congressmen) Congress members passing by a teller and saying how they are planning on voting is called teller voting. Congress members answering “yea” or “nay” to their names being called is named roll call voting. This type is the most official and it will go down in the books of how each congressmen voted.

If the House and Senate pass the same bill in different forms, they must reconcile the differences before the bill becomes a law. If a bill has major differences, it may require that the differences be resolved in a conference committee which has been nicknamed “The Third House of Congress”. However, most differences can be reconciled by simply sending it back to the responsible house and requesting that they make certain revisions.

Once the bill is in its final form, it is sent to the president for his signature (currently Donald Trump). Once the president receives the bill, he has 10 days, excluding Sunday, to take action. A bill can become a law if the president doesn't sign it within 10 days as long as Congress is still in session. The president can let a bill die by not signing it within 10 days if Congress is not in session. If the president does not support a bill, he can veto it and send it back to the house where is originated. It is important to note that the President has the power to veto the entire bill, but he does NOT have the power of the line item veto. This was reaffirmed in the case Clinton v. The City of New York in which the SCOTUS ruled that the line-item veto as granted in the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 violated the Presentment Clause of the United States Constitution because it impermissibly gave the President of the United States the power to unilaterally amend or repeal parts of statutes that had been duly passed by the United States Congress.

However, if the president approves a bill, his signature will be applied and the bill officially becomes a law.

If a bill does not get passed in one session it is dead and must begin the entire process over again.