How Laws Are Made

Let's pretend the voters from Senator Jones' state (constituents) want a law requiring seatbelts on school buses. He and his staff write a bill, which is a draft (early version) of the proposed law. The bill is then passed out to each Senator. A Standing Committee (a small, permanent group made up of legislators who studies and reports on bills) reviews the bill and does one of three things:

1. Sends the bill back with no changes.
2. Makes changes and sends it back.
3. Tables the bill -- In other words, they can do nothing.

If the committee sends it back with no changes, then the bill goes on the Senate's calendar to be voted on. When that day comes, the bill is voted on and over half of the senators (51 of 100) must vote yes to pass it.

If the bill is passed by the Senate, it then moves to the other branch of Congress, the House of Representatives. The bill goes to a House committee, which studies the bill, and then is voted on by the representatives. Just as in the Senate, over half of the representatives (218 of 435) must vote yes to pass the bill.

If the bill is passed in both the Senate and House, the bill goes to the President of the United States. If the president signs the bill, it then becomes a law. It may also become law if the president does not sign it for 10 days. If the president rejects (vetoes) the bill, it can still become a law if two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House then vote in favor of the bill.

A bill may begin in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. So, Representative Smith could introduce a bill of her own just like Senator Jones. This bill would take the same steps only it would begin in the House of Representatives instead of the Senate.

OTHER POWERS OF CONGRESS

Congress decides upon taxes and how money is spent. In addition, it regulates commerce among the states and with foreign countries. It also sets rules for the naturalization of foreign citizens.

Test Quiz

1) What is another name for the Legislative Branch of the United States government?
	The President
	The Cabinet
	The Supreme Court
	The Congress
	The Executive Office
2) What are the two parts that make up the Legislative Branch of government?
	The House of Representatives and the Senate
	The House of Commons and the Supreme Court
	The Supreme Court and the Senate
	The Congress and the Cabinet
	The FBI and the NSA
3) How many Senators does each state have?
	It depends on the population of the state.
	Each state gets 5 Senators
	Each state gets 2 Senators
	As many as they want.
	It depends on how long the state has been a member of the USA.
4) How many representatives in the House does each state have?
	It depends on the population of the state.
	Each state has 2 representatives in the House.
	The number of representatives is based on size of each county, not on the state.
	It depends on the geographical size of the state.
	It was decided when the state was admitted into the Union.
5) What is the total number of U.S. Senators and House of Representatives?
	200 of each
	435 of each
	434 Senators and 100 Representatives
	100 Senators and 435 Representatives
	It changes every year.
6) Which of the following is not a step that a bill must take to become a law?
	A member of Congress must present the bill to Congress.
	The bill must be accepted by a congressional special committee.
	The bill must be voted on and passed by both houses of Congress.
	The president must sign the bill into law.
	The governor of each state must sign off on the law.
7) If the president vetoes a bill, what can the Congress do to override his veto and turn the bill into law?
	Once a year congress can choose to bypass the president and turn a bill directly into law.
	They can vote again on the bill and if it passes by a two-thirds majority, then it becomes a law.
	They can order the army to force the president to sign the law.
	They can pass the law when the president is on vacation and get the vice president to sign.
	They can ask the Supreme Court to overrule the president.
8) Which one of the following is NOT a power of the legislative branch?
	Power to declare war
	Power to tax citizens
	Power to select the vice president
	Power to ratify treaties with other countries
	Power to oversee the government
9) What is the primary job of the legislative branch?
	To write up and vote on laws
	To command the armed forces and fight wars
	To determine if laws are constitutional
	To hear court cases and issue rulings
	To hire and fire members of the cabinet
10) How often are Senators and Representatives elected?
	Both are elected every 4 years
	Senators every 2 years and Representatives every 4 years
	Both are elected every 2 years
	Senators every 6 years and Representatives every 2 years
	Both are elected every 6 years

SUMMERY

1. The Constitution calls for Congress to be a bicameral body. It also details the qualifica­tions, representation, election, and terms of members of each house.

2. The Senate is made up of 100 members, two from each state. Terms are six years long, with one third of the members being elected every two years.

3. The House of Representatives has 435 members, apportioned among the states according to population. Representatives serve two-year terms and, like Senators, are elected directly by the American people.

4. The most important powers of Congress are its legislative powers.

5. A bill must be introduced by a member of Congress. It then goes to a committee for study, hearings, changes, and recommen­dations. Once passed by one house, it goes through the same process in the other house. After passage in both houses, a bill may be signed into law or vetoed by the President. A vetoed bill still can become law if approved by two thirds of both houses.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1266