BY CREIGHTON LEWIS
STAFF WRITER
Before a bill becomes a law, there is an extensive series of steps it has to go through before it makes its way to the President’s desk. If you want to see the most recent bills that have been introduced, look below, as this will detail their full process. First, bills are drafted by a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate. They basically explain what the bill is going to be about in a short sentence, and a number is added to the end to differentiate it from the rest of them. Online, the website shows what stage a document is in, the date it was introduced, as well as the sponsor. Depending on how far the bill has progressed, the website may show cosponsors of a bill, too. These are individuals who pledge their support for a piece of legislation. It’s best to get as many of these as possible because if there are a greater number of people supporting it, it’s more likely to pass.
Afterwards, they’re sent to a committee where small groups of Congressional leaders review the bill, understand the specifics, and decide to act on it or not. Hearings are sometimes held in order to give lawmakers, as well as everyday citizens, the ability to become familiar with and ask questions about whatever has been proposed. If the committee decides not to act, the bill is considered “dead.” If they do, they move onto the next stage:a subcommittee. For example: if someone was trying to pass a bill that banned medicine that was dangerous to children, they would probably gather data, send it to the parent committee, which focuses on the broad topic of health, and anyone with expertise or knowledge on pediatric medicine would be in the subcommittee, further reviewing and amending the bill as needed.
Then, a committee “marks up” a bill and either recommends it to the floor, which is a House and Senate meeting, or decides not to, in which case, it’s dead. Once on the floor, it’s debated on, voted on, and either passes or dies. If the bill is passed, it’s sent to the opposite chamber; from the House to the Senate, or vice versa. If the opposite chamber decides that they want to change part of a bill, but can’t come to an agreement on doing so, or rejects it, then the bill dies. If everything goes well, the bill is sent to the president.
INTRODUCED BILLS AS OF 1/22/2021
H.R 435.– Excludes tax from certain payments of federal unemployment compensation
H.R 434- To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a task force to advise the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use on a national strategy for preventing mental health and substance use crises during a public health emergency, and for other purposes.
H.R 426-To provide that for purposes of determining compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
H.R 391-To authorize a comprehensive, strategic approach for United States foreign assistance to developing countries to strengthen global health security, and for other purposes.
H.R 379-To authorize the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out a Social Determinants of Health Program, and for other purposes.
Sources:
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22477.pdf
lhttps://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22477.pdfh
ttps://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/How-Bill-Becomes-Law