Select committees are set up after each general election. One of their roles is taking part in the development process of a bill. After the first vote, if the majority of MPs agree the bill could be a good thing, the bill goes to a select committee. This is a smaller group of MPs from different parties that debate the bill in more detail. This is also the chance for the public to have their say about the bill. Anyone can make a submission to a select committee to give their opinion on a bill. This makes sure that a variety of points of view are heard and that laws are effective and representative. For example, for the Marriage Equality Bill in 2012, many thousands of New Zealanders gave their opinion through the select committee, before it was passed into law in 2013.