Bill made into Law

Bill Made into Law
Institution
Date
A bill goes through a systematic process before becoming a law. A legislator, either a representative or a Senate decides to sponsor the bill. This could be an original idea, a suggestion from a constituent, or public officials. The idea may also be co-sponsored by other lawmakers who may be of the same political party or from different parties. A bill is drafted.
Step 1: The bill is introduced in the house.
Depending on the subject matter of the legislation, it may be termed as a bill or a resolution. Any member of the Congress can introduce a piece of the legislation. This resolution is then given a number such as H.R. # for House bills. The First reading of the bill happens in the house of origin. It is read by title for the first time to the full legislative body. As stated earlier, members who introduce the bill are known as the sponsors while those who supports it are referred to as the co-sponsors (Carter, 2007).
Step 2. The bill is referred to a committee
A committee picks up the bill and specializes in it. This committee then keenly studies the bill. They may also consider opinions of other elected officials, experts, interests groups or even citizens. Both the House and the Senate have Committees that are assigned specific jurisdictions. For instance, the Senate Finance Committee handles tax bills. A newly introduced bill is directed to the Committee (s) with expertise in its issue for further evaluation (Great Britain & Great Britain, 2006). The committee may assign the bill to one of the subcommittees that may choose to make amendments to the bill if they find the need. In most cases, the bill dies if the Committee does nothing on it.

Step 3: The Committee holds hearings on the bill.
In this case, either the subcommittee or the full committee or both may hold hearings on the piece of legislation. Witnesses testify about positive and negative outcomes of the legislation. Members of Congress contribute by asking questions of the witnesses or make their views on the legislation.
Step 4: The committee “mark-up” the bill.
This stage involves subcommittee ...