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How does the legislative process work in Congress?, image - Coggle Diagram
How does the legislative process work in Congress?
The legislative process is concurrent meaning both chambers are needed to make laws
Both chambers can block the legislative effots of the other.
Process in the House
First Reading - where the bill is simply printed and given to the clerk
Committee Stage - Bill is then assigned to the most relevant committee
The House has more members and so has more and larger comittees. The House committes have around 40-50 members. More than the Senate.
Committees are further divided in sub-committees.
100s of Bills don't make it pass this stage. E.g: 113th Congress - 8,500 bills referred to the Standing Committees, 613 Bills were
reported on
by the Standing Committes, only 300 bills signed into law.
In this stage, committes hold hearing in the bill and hear from: experts, constituents, executive branch and intrest groups.
Markup Sessions: where amendments are made to the bills ore text even replaced. Afterwards a vote is held on whether to report the bill out of the Committee, and on to the floor of the House or Senate.
Timetabling - bills is scheduled. Although a bill might be reported out of committee, there might not be time to schedule debate so many votes don't make it past this stage.
In the House the Majority party leadership decides which bills the House will consider on the floor. Might block a bill from passing onto the floor.
The Hastert Rule ("majority of the majority" rule) - Republican Speakers will not allow a floor vote on a bill unless a majority of Republicans support the bill.
House Rules Committe works with the majority party leadership to set 'special rules' for each bill. E.g: limiting debate time or no. of amendments. House then votes of the special rules.
Second Reading - the entire chamber can debate and amend the bill
The whole house operates as one large committe with amendments being recommended.
Third Reading - final debate before it's sent to the other chamber.
Presidential Signature
Process in the Senate
First reading - where the bills title is read aloud
Committee Stage - Bill is then assigned to the most relevant committee
Around 20 members in each Senate Committee
Bill is scheduled for debate
Majority leader can ask for unanimous consent - if no one objects, the Senate then takes up the bill.
Senate then debates the motion and then a majority vote will begin the consideration of a bill.
Second Reading - the entire chamber can debate and amend the bill
Most motions are not subject to limits on debate. Unless unamimous consent agreement prevents it, senators can keep on debating leading to a filibuster.
A supermajority then is needed to end the debate on the bill which is unlikely due to hyperpartisanship, so many bills don't make it past this stage.
Third Reading - final debate before it's sent to the other chamber. And if the second chamber amends the first bill then its sent back for debate and vote and could lead to 'ping-pong'. Bills often come back very different.
Conference Committees may be called to resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. These include members from both chambers (mostly from relaveant committees)
Pork Barreling / Earmarking may occur at this stage – > government spending done purely to secure senator(s) support for a bill. This can be done only in the senate where rules are looser and anything not relevant to the original bill can be included.
Presidential Signature
Can Veto, Sign or Leave for 10 days - after which the bill is signed into law. At the end of the congress session they could leave for ten days and do a pocket veto.
