How a Bill Becomes Law

1. Idea & Drafting
A bill starts with a concept — often inspired by real-world issues, lobbying groups, media attention, or constituent concerns. A member of Congress works with legal staff to draft the proposal into formal legislative language.
2. Introduction
The bill is introduced in either the House or Senate. It's assigned a bill number and referred to one or more committees with jurisdiction over its topic.
Bill Number Prefixes:
H.R.Standard House bill
S.Standard Senate bill
H.J.Res.Joint resolution (House)
S.J.Res.Joint resolution (Senate)
H.Con.Res.Concurrent resolution (House)
S.Con.Res.Concurrent resolution (Senate)
H.Res.Simple resolution (House)
S.Res.Simple resolution (Senate)
Only bills and joint resolutions can become law.
3. Committee Action
Committees (and subcommittees) review, hold hearings, and may revise the bill. Most bills stall here and never advance further.
Less than 10% of bills make it past this stage.
4. Floor Debate & Vote
If approved by committee, the bill moves to the floor for debate and a vote. The House and Senate have different rules for timing and amendments. A simple majority is usually needed to pass.
5. Second Chamber
The other chamber (House or Senate) repeats the process: committee review, debate, and vote. They may pass the bill as-is or amend it.
6. Reconciliation
If there are differences between House and Senate versions, a conference committee resolves them. The final version must then be passed again by both chambers without changes.
7. Presidential Action
Once approved by both chambers, the bill is sent to the President, who can:
  • Sign it into law
  • Veto it
  • Take no action — becomes law after 10 days if Congress is in session, or fails via pocket veto if Congress adjourns
8. Veto Override
If the President vetoes the bill, Congress may override it with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate. This is rare.
9. Codification
A successful bill is assigned a public law number and incorporated into the U.S. Code. It is published in the Statutes at Large and becomes binding federal law.