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How a Bill Becomes a Law
Tracing the Legislative Process
This page traces the process by which a bill becomes a law in the
United States. The process begins with the bill's introduction in Congress
and ends with its interpretation by the federal court system.
You can follow the legislative process through print and microform publications, or in many cases track the online version. To locate paper and microform publications in the UCSB Library, search by title or keyword in Pegasus.
| Print Version |
Action |
Online |
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Senate Bills:
- Y1.4/1:
- House Bills:
- Y1.4/6:
Government Info Center microfiche
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Bill
Members of the House or Senate introduce bills for
consideration by the Congress. The President, a member of the Cabinet or
head of a Federal agency can also propose legislation, although it must be introduced by a member of Congress.
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- LexisNexis Congressional
- Bills from 101st Congress to present (1989+)
- GPO Access
- Bills from the 103rd Congress to present (1993+)
- Thomas
- Texts of bills
from 1989 - and bill summary status from 1973+
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- House & Senate Committee Hearings:
- Y4.:
Government Info Center, paper or microfiche
- Senate Reports:
- Y1.1/5:
- House Reports:
- Y1.1/8:
Reports from 96th Congress to present (1979-) are in Government Info Center microfiche. Prior to 1978, they are part of the Serial Set.
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Committee Action
The Bill is referred to the appropriate committees
for comment and revisions. Hearings may be held and reports issued containing the
revised bill, committee's recommendations and background information.
Once revised, a bill is brought again before the
House or Senate for debate. Some bills are referred to
a conference committee, composed of both Senate and House members, to reconcile differences in similar
bills in both Chambers. If the Conference committee reaches a compromise, it will prepare a written conference report to be submitted to each chamber.
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- LexisNexis Congressional
- Reports, 1990+; Documents, 1995+;
Testimony, 1988+
- Senate,
House & Executive Reports
- Selected reports from 1995+
Congress. (GPO Access)
- Committee Reports
- Reports and selected hearings from the 104th to present Congress (THOMAS)
- House
and Senate
- Some Committee pages contain hearings and other publications
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- Congressional Record:
- X1.1/A:
Government Info Center, microfiche & microfilm; paper issues kept until complete set of microform received
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Floor Action
Revised bill is brought before the House and Senate
for debate and approval.
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- LexisNexis Congressional
- Congressional record 1985+
- GPO
Access
- Congressional Record 1994+
- Congressional Record
- Congressional Record from 1989+ (THOMAS)
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- Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report:
- Main JA 1 .C7 (1953-1998)
- Congressional Quarterly Almanac:
- Reference JK 8 C71 (1945 to present)
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Vote
Members of both Chambers vote on the final version
of the bill.
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- LexisNexis Congressional
- Voting records of Members of Congress, 1988 -
- Voting
Records of Members of Congress Project Vote Smart
- CQ Weekly
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- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents:
- Govt. Info Center Reference, 1965 - 2000
- Public Papers of the Presidents
- Main Library, J 80 A28
- Federal Register:
- Govt. Info Center AE2.106:
current year & all indexes in paper; older years in microfilm
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Presidential Action
A bill approved by both House & Senate is sent
to the President. The President may comment on the bill and then sign
or veto it. If he signs it, the bill becomes law. If he vetoes it, it may
go back to Congress for redrafting or Congress may override the veto with
2/3rds majority vote in both Houses. If the President does not return the bill to Congress with his objections within 10 days, the bill automatically becomes a law. If Congress adjourns before the 10 day period, the bill is vetoed. (pocket veto)
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- LexisNexis Congressional
- Federal Register, 1980+; contains Presidential Documents and Executive Orders
- Federal
Register (GPO Access)
- Presidential documents and Executive Orders since 1994.
- Public Papers of the Presidents 1992+ (GPO Access)
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents 1993+ (
GPO Access)
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- Slip Laws:
- Government Info Center, AE2.110: (Slip Laws contain legislative histories)
- U.S. Statutes at Large:
- Reference KF 50 .A3
- U.S. Code Service:
- Reference KF 62 1972 .L38
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Laws
Once signed by the President, laws are given public
law numbers and issued in printed form first as slip laws. These Public
Laws are then bound into the Statutes at Large. Every six years, Public
Laws are incorporated into the U.S. Code. Public Laws
update the U.S. Code.
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- LexisNexis Congressional
- Public Laws, 1988+
- Public
Laws
- Thomas, 1973+
- U. S. Code
- GPO Access
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The Aftermath: Regulations and Judicial Review
| Print Version |
Action |
Online |
- Federal Register:
- Govt. Info Center AE2.106:
current year & all indexes in paper; older years in microfilm
- Code of Federal Regulations
- Reference KF 70.A3 C625
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Regulations
Executive agencies draft detailed regulations which
specify how the laws are to be carried out. New and proposed regulations
are announced in the Federal Register. Regulations are bound into the Code
of Federal Regulations which is a subject arrangement of regulations in
force.
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- LexisNexis Congressional
- Federal Register, 1980+
- Federal
Register
- Federal Register, 1994+
(GPO Access)
- Code of Federal
Regulations.
- (National Archives & Records Administration)
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- U.S. Reports:
- Government Information Center JK 1561 U5
- U. S. Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers Edition:
- Reference JK 1561 U51
- Federal Supplement:
- Annex KF 127 F434 (1932-2004)
- Federal Reporter:
- Annex & Reference KF 127 F4
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Judicial Review
Supreme Court and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal
interpret laws & regulations when they become an issue in a case.
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- Slip Opinions Supreme Court
- LexisNexis Academic
- Supreme Court, Federal Courts, and State Court Decisions
- Supreme Court Decisions Cornell University
- Supreme Court Decisions, 1937-1975 GPO Access
- Federal Courts Finder
- Links to web pages for each of the federal circuit courts, including a map showing states included in each
district.(Emory Law Library)
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Access limited to UCSB students, faculty and staff
Appreciation to Maryann Readal, North Harris College, for originating this chart.
The following sites offer additional information about the legislative
process:
- The Legislative Process LexisNexis Congressional; access from Help toolbox
- Searching the CIS Index for a law will bring up a legislative history, including proposed bills and congressional reports and debate.
- How Our Laws Are Made House
- Enactment of a Law Senate
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Issued by the Parliamentarians of the House of Representatives and Senate, these publications describe the
steps of the legislative process and the documents produced along the way.
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Author: Sherry DeDecker.
Last modified: May 20,2008
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