How a Bill Becomes a Law: The Law-making Process

There are nearly fourteen steps the bill is taken through before becoming law. These steps could be explained in relation to the following law “H.R. 2292: To extend a project of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission involving the Cannons Ville Dam.” The first step in making a bill is to draft it. This is usually to be done by the concerned party using guidelines that are provided for by the constitution. Bills are mostly, however, drafted by elected members of Congress. The bill, in this case, was drafted and introduced in the house by John Faso (Congress.gov, 2017). This was on May 2, 2017. A bill is introduced in the house by a member of the house. The speaker of the house then has to take charge, submitting the bill to an appropriate house committee actions, which thoroughly analyzes, pigeonholes, amends, tables or votes for or against it. This bill went through, with recommendations for some adjustments to be made.

If a bill gains the concerned house committee’s approval, it then has to be referred to the rules committee where it is also debated. During the debates, further amendments can be made on the bill. All bills must gain a majority vote from the house the bill is inf representatives in order to be tabled in the Senate. Here, it is again subjected to an action by an appropriate senatorial committee (McKay, 2017). The energy bill was passed by the Senate on June 12, 2017 (Congress.gov, 2017). This was the same day as it had been presented before the house committee, and it now pends approval and changes. Having been debated on the floor of the senate, a bill gains transfer to the conference committee where the amendments that would have been made to it are either approved or disproved. Here, it is standard practice for compromises to be made between the members of both houses of Congress (McKay, 2017). If approved, the bill goes to the president for approval, after which it takes on the full force of law. The president may choose to veto the bill. In such like a case, a two-thirds house vote overrides the presidential veto.