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Introduction of the bill

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A Congressman in the House of Representatives or a Senator in the Senate introduces a proposed bill during a morning session. The bill is assigned a number, designating the chamber of origin - HR or S - and the name of the sponsor. The Government Printing Office prints copies for both chambers of Congress.

Committees and Subcommittees

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The Speaker of the House or presiding officer in the Senate assigns the bill to its appropriate committee. Once in committee, the bill might have move to a subcommittee for a full report. The subcommittee holds a hearing on the merits of the bill and informs the greater committee of its findings. The committee might amend the bill, writing additions to it. The chamber receives a report of the merits of the amended bill and any dissenting viewpoints from the committee. The chamber sets a date for the voting of the bill by the chamber at large. In the House, the rules committee might review the bill before it goes to voting. The Rules Committee could set time limits and restrictions on additional amendments to the bill.

Voting
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The Rules Committee sets the time limits on a decision and the allotment of debate from supporters and opponents of the bills for House debates and voting of bills. Amendments need to have relevance to the topic of the bill. At least 218 members of the House must vote to pass the bill for it to pass onto the Senate, a conference committee or the President. The Senate has freer debate rules without a committee to guide. No restrictions on amendments to a bill allow for riders not germane to the subject of the bill itself. Should the bill receive a majority of votes in the Senate, it moves either to the House, to a conference committee or to the President. Amendments added to the bill by a chamber of Congress that create a different bill from the one passed by the opposite Chamber, require the two bills to move into a conference committee.

Conference Committees
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Conference committees attempt to find an agreement between the variations of the bill passed in the House and Senate. Selected members of the committees from the House and Senate which created the report for the initial voting of the bill sit in the conference committees. The committee seeks compromise between the differing bills. Both chambers vote on the finalized report of the conference committee for approval. The bill then moves to the President's desk.

The President's role

A bill moves from Capitol Hill to the White House to become a law. A signature of his approval passes a bill, but the President can deny his approval in a move called a veto. This does not mean the bill cannot become a law. A vetoed bill returns to Congress for another chance to be passed into law.

A law is formed
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A bill signed by the President will become a law, but if he vetoes it, the bill returns to Congress with his reasons for the veto. This last chance for the bill allows the Congress to vote on the bill once more. If at least two-thirds of both the House and Senate vote for the bill, the President's veto has been overridden and the bill is passed, becoming a law.

Read more: How a Bill Is Passed in Congress? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/howdoes_5386720_bill-passed-congress.html#ixzz1Zld8bEjJ