How A Bill Becomes a Law

What is a bill?

• a proposal for a law

• a law

• a Supreme Court precedent

Who can introduce a bill in Congress?

• Anybody

• The President

• A Senator or Representative

• Governors

Where do ideas for bills come from?

• Just the President

• Just a member of Congress

• Anybody can come up with one

What is a law?

• A bill

• A bill that has passed both the Senate and House

• A bill that has passed Congress and been signed by the President, or where Congress override President's veto

• A bill that has passed Congress and vetoed by the President

If the President vetoes a bill, what proportion of both houses of Congress is required to override the veto for it to become law?

• one-half

• three-fourths

• two-thirds

• 100 percent

What happens after a bill is introduced in the House or Senate?

• It goes to a committee to discuss it

• It goes right to a vote

• the President signs in

• It becomes law

What happens if the House passes one bill and Senate passes a different version?

• They send both to the President and s/he picks which one to sign

• The Senate one becomes law

• The House one becomes law

• They have to see what the difference is and see if they can agree on the same bill

What happens if a bill doesn't make it out of committee?

• It dies

• The House or Senate can still vote on it

• The President can still sign it

• The Supreme Court rules on it

What is one reason we have a House AND a Senate

• It was a compromise between states with large populations and smaller states

• It made things easier to get done

• States with large populations wanted a Senate because it favored them

The Founders gave House members shorter terms and smaller districts with the idea that

• the House would not feel pressure from their voters

• the House would focus on the interests of their whole state and not just their district

• the House would more closely represent the people in their district