Jonah Patel
The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, was written by James Madison, then a member of the US House of Representatives, to limit government power and protect individual liberties. The amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791, and include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms. The legislative process for a bill to become a law involves a proposal by a representative, assignment to a committee for study, a vote in the House of Representatives, a vote in the Senate, and final approval by both Houses of Congress.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who is responsible for creating bills? | Any member of Congress can introduce a piece of legislation |
| Who must bills pass through? | Both houses of Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) |
| What is required for a bill to become a law? | It must be presented to and signed by the President of the United States |
| What happens if the President does not sign the bill? | If the President does not sign the bill within 10 days, it still becomes a law unless Congress adjourns before the 10 days are up (a pocket veto) |
| What happens if Congress adjourns before the 10 days are up? | The bill dies and Congress must restart the entire process if they still want to pass the legislation |
| What are some other options for the President? | The President may veto the bill, but Congress may override this with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives |
| Who can override a presidential veto? | Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives |
| What is another step in the process of a bill becoming a law? | The bill is referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate |
| What is another step in the process? | There is a vote by the full committee, and the bill is "ordered to be reported" |
| What is another step in the process? | The committee holds a "mark-up" session to make revisions and additions, and may introduce a "clean bill" with proposed amendments |
| Who is responsible for the Bill of Rights? | James Madison, with the roots of the Bill of Rights lying in the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights |
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What You'll Learn
- Bills must pass both houses of Congress before reaching the President
- The Speaker of the House or presiding Senate officer refers bills to committees
- Committees can make revisions and additions, producing a clean bill if necessary
- The President can veto a bill, but Congress can override with a two-thirds majority
- The Founding Fathers were influenced by the English Bill of Rights and Magna Carta
Bills must pass both houses of Congress before reaching the President
The United States Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The primary function of Congress, as the Legislative Branch of the US government, is to create and modify laws. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers.
Any member of Congress can introduce a piece of legislation. The bill is then referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it. Bills in the House can only be released from the committee without a proper committee vote by a discharge petition signed by a majority of the House membership.
The committee will hold a "mark-up" session during which it will make revisions and additions. If substantial amendments are made, the committee can order the introduction of a "clean bill" which will include the proposed amendments. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded. The chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.
After the bill is reported, the committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favor the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, are adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.
In the House, most bills go to the Rules Committee before reaching the floor. The committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the bill will be considered by the House. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can have a major impact on whether the bill passes.
Once the bill has passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, it shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President of the United States. If the President approves, they will sign it, but if not, they shall return it, with their objections, to the House in which it originated. That House will then enter the objections at large on their journal and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of that House agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds, it shall become a law.
If the President takes no action within 10 days, the bill becomes law. If Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the President takes no action, then the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is called a pocket veto, and if Congress still wants to pass the legislation, the entire process must begin again.
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The Speaker of the House or presiding Senate officer refers bills to committees
The process of creating and modifying laws in the United States is a complex one, with the Constitution providing the framework. The Founding Fathers, after the Declaration of Independence in 1776, began work on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which became the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791, and it protects citizens' liberties and rights.
Once a bill is introduced, it is referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. The Speaker of the House or presiding Senate officer plays a crucial role in this process. They decide which committee or committees will review the bill, and they may set time limits for the committees' deliberations. In the past, until 1975, the Speaker could only refer a bill to a single committee. However, now they can refer it to multiple committees, allowing for a more comprehensive consideration of the bill's provisions.
The Speaker of the House or presiding Senate officer's role in referring bills to committees is a critical step in the legislative process. The committees are responsible for reviewing the bill, making revisions, and providing recommendations. The committees' expertise and jurisdiction over specific subject matters ensure that the bills are thoroughly vetted before proceeding further in the legislative process.
The Speaker of the House or presiding Senate officer's decision on committee referrals is often influenced by the House or Senate parliamentarian, who provides expertise and advice on legislative matters. The committees may make substantial amendments to the bill, and if a "clean bill" with proposed amendments is introduced, the old bill is discarded. The committee staff then prepares a written report explaining their recommendations and any dissenting opinions.
The committee referral process is an essential step in the legislative journey of a bill. It allows for detailed scrutiny, debate, and revisions to the proposed legislation. The Speaker of the House or presiding Senate officer's role in referring bills to committees helps ensure that the legislative process is thorough and that the bills are considered by the relevant subject-matter experts.
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Committees can make revisions and additions, producing a clean bill if necessary
The United States Congress, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate, is responsible for enacting legislation and creating and modifying laws. Any member of Congress can introduce a piece of legislation, which is then handed to the clerk of the House or placed in the hopper. The bill is assigned a number and labelled with the sponsor's name. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate then refers the bill to the appropriate committee. The committee will hold a "mark-up" session, during which it will make revisions and additions, producing a clean bill if necessary. This new bill will have a new number and will be sent to the floor while the old bill is discarded.
The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it. Bills can be referred to more than one committee and split so that parts are sent to different committees. The committee staff prepares a written report explaining why they favour the bill and why they wish to see their amendments, if any, adopted. Committee members who oppose a bill sometimes write a dissenting opinion in the report. The report is sent back to the whole chamber and is placed on the calendar.
Once the bill has been approved by the committee, it must pass both houses of Congress before it goes to the President for consideration. The bill is then enrolled by either the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate, depending on where it originated, and presented to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate for their signatures. The President has several options when receiving a bill from Congress. If the President agrees with the bill, they may sign it into law, and the bill is then printed in the Statutes at Large. If the President takes no action within 10 days and Congress is in session, the bill becomes law. If Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the President takes no action, the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override, which is called a pocket veto. Congress may also override a veto by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
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The President can veto a bill, but Congress can override with a two-thirds majority
The U.S. Constitution was a group effort by some of the country's greatest minds, but the bulk of the document can be credited to one Founding Father. The Founding Fathers turned to the composition of the states' and then the federal Constitution after the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Constitution's supporters realized that a Bill of Rights to protect citizens was crucial to achieving ratification.
The legislative branch of the U.S. government, Congress, is responsible for creating and modifying laws. Any member of Congress can introduce a piece of legislation, which is then handed to the clerk of the House or placed in the hopper. The bill is assigned a number and a sponsor's name. The Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate then refers the bill to the appropriate committee. Most bills go to the Rules committee before reaching the floor. The committee adopts rules that will govern the procedures under which the House will consider the bill. A "closed rule" sets strict time limits on debate and forbids the introduction of amendments. These rules can significantly impact whether the bill passes.
Once a bill has passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is presented to the President of the United States. If the President approves, they will sign it into law. However, if the President does not approve, they have the power to veto the bill. A veto involves the President returning the bill to Congress, specifically the House in which it originated. If the President does not veto or sign a bill within ten days (excluding Sundays), it automatically becomes law. This prevents the President from killing legislation through inaction.
However, Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate. If the originating chamber achieves a two-thirds majority to override, the bill is sent to the other chamber, which then decides whether to attempt its own override vote. Only if both chambers vote to override does the bill become law, despite the President's veto. A successful override of a presidential veto is rare.
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The Founding Fathers were influenced by the English Bill of Rights and Magna Carta
The Founding Fathers of the United States were heavily influenced by the English Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta when drafting the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Founding Fathers, including political thinkers such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, revered the Magna Carta as a symbol of liberty and the natural rights of man against oppressive governments. They believed that the colonists were entitled to the same rights as Englishmen, as guaranteed in the Magna Carta.
The English Bill of Rights, signed in 1689, limited the power of the monarchy by placing the law above the ruler. Similarly, the Founding Fathers sought to limit the powers of the federal government in the US Constitution. The English Bill of Rights also defined citizens' rights in relation to the government, a concept that was reflected in the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The Magna Carta, or the "Great Charter," was a document signed by England's King John in 1215 under pressure from rebellious barons. It protected subjects against royal abuses of power and included rights such as freedom from unlawful searches and seizures, the right to a speedy trial, and protection from loss of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. These rights were later incorporated into the state declarations of rights and the United States Bill of Rights. The colonists believed that these rights had been guaranteed to them under "the principles of the English constitution," also known as the Magna Carta.
The influence of the Magna Carta was evident during the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention in 1787, when the principles of due process and individual liberty were enshrined into law. The US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which consists of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, contain several provisions that echo the Magna Carta. For example, Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution guarantees a jury trial in all criminal trials, while Article 1, Section 9 forbids the suspension of habeas corpus, ensuring that no one can be imprisoned without legal cause.
The process of creating and amending the US Constitution involved several key figures. Every bill that passes the House of Representatives and the Senate is presented to the President of the United States for approval. If the President does not approve, the bill is returned with objections, and if two-thirds of both houses still agree to pass it, it becomes a law. James Madison played a significant role in the creation of the Bill of Rights, which were ratified in 1791. Madison carefully sifted through amendments from proposals made in state ratifying conventions, navigating indifference and hostility from some members. He was part of the Committee of Style, which included Alexander Hamilton, Rufus King, and Gouverneur Morris, who is credited with the famous preamble phrase, "We the people of the United States."
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Frequently asked questions
James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights, which forms the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to limit government power and protect individual liberties.
The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791. Ten of the twelve proposed amendments were ratified, forming the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
A bill is first sponsored by a representative and then assigned to a committee for study. If released by the committee, the bill is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended. If the bill passes by a simple majority, it moves to the Senate, where the process is repeated. A conference committee made of House and Senate members then works out any differences between the two versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval. Finally, the bill is presented to the President of the United States for approval and signature.
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