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5. In the process of a
bill becoming a law, the bill must begin with committee consideration.
 The answer should be true.
For a bill to become a law it must pass
through five phases.
1. A member of congress or state legislature
introduces the bill. Some bills never leave this stage.
2. Once a bill has been introduced, it will be assigned to a
committee of the same subject base. In this stage, the bill potentially
goes through revision or consideration. Public hearings are held
in this stage.
3. After committee, a bill is scheduled for floor debate. It
is in this stage that amendments may be added or dropped.
4. Once one legislative body has passed a bill, it then is passed
to a second body for approval where it again must pass from committee,
to debate, to vote. It is possible for a bill to be passing through
each body simultaneously and to be considered by more than one
committee. If the bills are different in either body a conference
committee is formed to rewrite the bill and send it back to each
body.
5. Following the passage of a bill in both houses, it is sent
to the executive officers for passage. The president or governor
has the power to veto a bill. A veto can only be overturned if
the bill can be passed by a two-thirds majority.
Resources: Guither, H.D., Edelman,
M.A., and Yoho, C.B. 1991. Making Your Views Count on Public
Policy Issues. North Central Regional Extension publication No.
389. Ames: Iowa State University Cooperative Extension Publications
Office.
U.S. House of Representatives
- Home Page http://www.house.gov
The United States Senate http://www.senate.gov
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