A federal bill becomes law after the House and Senate pass identical text and the President signs it, permits it to become law without a signature, or Congress overrides a veto. It may fail through an unoverridden veto or, in limited circumstances, a pocket veto.
A federal bill is legislation introduced and sponsored by a Member of Congress. That familiar sequence is a framework, not a reliable timetable. The Congressional Research Service cautions that a bill's route to enactment is rarely predictable and often departs from the standard stages.
Table of Contents
- Introduction and committee review
- Floor action in both chambers
- Reconciling different versions
- The President's choices
- How to tell whether the process is complete
Introduction and committee review
A Member introduces and sponsors the bill, which is then referred to a committee. According to the U.S.
House of Representatives, the committee may study it, hold hearings, amend it and decide whether to report it to the full chamber. Senate committees typically seek comments from executive agencies, hear witnesses and consider amendments. When a committee agrees on language, it may send the measure—and usually a written report—to the full Senate for debate.
Floor action in both chambers
A bill released by a committee may be scheduled for floor consideration. Members can debate it, propose amendments and vote on whether to pass it.
Approval by one chamber is not enough. The other chamber must also consider the legislation, and the U.S. Senate explains that both chambers must pass identical language before the bill goes to the President.
Reconciling different versions
The House and Senate may approve different versions of the same bill. Differences can include amended language adopted during either chamber's consideration.
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House and Senate conferees may negotiate a compromise. Both chambers must then approve that resulting text; agreement by the negotiators alone does not send the bill to the President.
The President's choices
The President may sign the enrolled bill into law or veto it. The bill can also become law without a signature after 10 days, excluding Sundays, if Congress remains in session.
Congress may override a veto only with two-thirds approval in each chamber. If Congress adjourns in a way that prevents the return of an unsigned bill, the measure does not become law; this is a pocket veto. The Library of Congress's Constitution Annotated explains these presidential and congressional options.
How to tell whether the process is complete
When following a bill, distinguish progress from enactment. These milestones show where it stands: After a presidential signature, the law receives a public- or private-law number and is published as a slip law.
Most laws are eventually incorporated into the U.S. Code.
- Committee action means the bill may advance, not that it has passed.
- Passage by one chamber leaves action by the other chamber.
- Different House and Senate texts still require reconciliation and approval.
- Identical passage allows presentation to the President.
- A veto leaves one remaining route: two-thirds approval in each chamber.
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