Legislation covers laws enacted by Parliaments and also laws made by persons or bodies granted law-making powers by a Parliament. In the United States, this includes bills and resolutions that make, amend or repeal statutes (or laws).
The process by which a bill becomes law begins when an idea for a new or amended law is proposed by a legislator. This may originate from a member’s own idea or a proposal from another person or group. It may come from a request by constituents or it may result from an election campaign promise. A bill is then drafted and assigned to committees, which are charged with studying the subject of the legislation. The results of the committee study are presented to the full House or Senate for debate and vote. The House or Senate may adopt the bill with no changes, or it may be amended by legislators who have the opportunity to speak at public hearings on the subject. In a bicameral legislature, the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill are worked out through the conference committee process. Eventually the final version of the bill is sent to the executive branch for enactment into a statute by the President of the United States. The President of the United States may sign the bill into law, or veto it by not signing it within three days; in the latter case, Congress can attempt to override the Governor’s veto by a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate.
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