Legislative Process in US Politics

Process for a Bill to become a Law

1. First reading - a formality. In the Senate the title is read out and in the House it is placed in a 'hopper' on the clerks desk

2. Committee stage - bills are referred to each of the standing committee in both chambers - only those with high support will go forward

3. Timetabling - bill goes to house rules committee for the house of representatives and Senate has 'unanimous consent agreements'

4. 2nd reading - first opportunity for full chambers to debate and amend the bill

5. 3rd reading - final opportunity to debate, a further vote is taken

6. Conference committee - reconcile the differences if the bill was passed in each chamber

7. Presidential action - can either sign the bill into law, leave bill on his desk (becomes law in 10 days), veto the bil or use a pocket veto (last 14 days, leave it and then Congress adjourns and it dies)

How is it so difficult to get laws passed through Congress?

Vast number of bills are introduced, which crowds the field. In a typical 2 year period, 9 – 11,000 bills are introduced

The process is complicated (7 stages a bill can stop at)

Some stages require super majority votes (overturning a veto)

Power is dispersed, committees wield a large amount of power

Both houses are co-equal

Senate and house not always controlled by the same party, they can block the bill

Divided government (Congress went into shutdown January 2018)

United government doesn’t mean legislative success is guaranteed - members of Congress often vote for their constituents (Trump had to pull the legislation to repeal Obamacare as he couldn’t get the support from his own party om the House, Obama had trouble steering through health insurance reform even when Democrats controlled the Congress)

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