How is a congressional bill passed? In this article, the legislative process is broken down to track the progress of H.R. 4003, the Hudson River Valley (HRV) Special Resource Study Act.
Step 1: Introduction
Any member of Congress can introduce a legislative bill, and it may be introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Congressman Maurice Hinchey, representing New York’s 22nd Congressional District introduced the HRV Special Resource Study Act on November 3, 2009. To introduce a bill in the House, a Congressman simply places the bill in a “hopper” with his or her signature as the sponsor at the side of the Clerk’s desk. The Clerk assigns the bill a number—for example, the HRV Special Resource Study Act’s number is H.R. 4003—and the Speaker of the House refers the bill to the House Committee or Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the area affected by the bill.Step 2: Referral to a Committee
Once a bill is introduced and referred to an appropriate committee, the committee holds public hearings and markup sessions for the bill. The public hearing is usually the first step in the committee consideration process and it is also the time when citizens are given the opportunity to testify or be heard. Committees make public the date, place, and subject of every hearing that they hold.
Following the hearings, the bill advances to a “markup” session where committee members study the legislation, offer amendments, and vote to accept or reject these changes. At the conclusions of the deliberation, committee members vote to determine the bill’s next steps. It can either be reported, with or without amendments, or tabled, where no further action will occur. If reported, a “Committee Report” is written describing the purpose and scope of the bill and the reasons for recommended approval. Then the bill moves to the full House floor for consideration.
There are 20 committees in the House of Representatives, and 16 committees in the Senate. Each of these committees may in turn have several subcommittees. In the case of the HRV Special Resource Study Act, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources and its subcommittee, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands. On January 21, 2010, this subcommittee held a public hearing on the bill and now the bill is scheduled for a markup by the House Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday, February 10, 2010.
A bill originating in the House also needs a sponsor to carry it in the Senate. According to Bob Elliott, a board member of the Hudson Valley Greenway Council and former Mayor of Croton-on-Hudson, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has agreed to carry H.R. 4003. If the Senate changes the language of the legislation, it must return to the House for additional changes or concurrence. Often a conference committee, composed of members of both the House and the Senate, is appointed to resolve the differences between the two legislative bodies.
Step 3: House Vote
The full House votes on the bill.
Step 4: Senate Vote
The full Senate votes on the bill.
Step 5: Signed by the President
If the House and the Senate vote in support of the bill, then the HRV Special Resource Study Act will be sent to the President for signature. If signed, the bill becomes law and the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to study the suitability of establishing the HRV as a unit of the National Park System.
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How is a congressional bill passed? In this article, the legislative process is broken down to track the progress of H.R. 4003, the Hudson River Valley (HRV) Special Resource Study Act.
Step 1: Introduction
Any member of Congress can introduce a legislative bill, and it may be introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Congressman Maurice Hinchey, representing New York’s 22nd Congressional District introduced the HRV Special Resource Study Act on November 3, 2009. To introduce a bill in the House, a Congressman simply places the bill in a “hopper” with his or her signature as the sponsor at the side of the Clerk’s desk. The Clerk assigns the bill a number—for example, the HRV Special Resource Study Act’s number is H.R. 4003—and the Speaker of the House refers the bill to the House Committee or Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the area affected by the bill.Step 2: Referral to a Committee
Once a bill is introduced and referred to an appropriate committee, the committee holds public hearings and markup sessions for the bill. The public hearing is usually the first step in the committee consideration process and it is also the time when citizens are given the opportunity to testify or be heard. Committees make public the date, place, and subject of every hearing that they hold.
Following the hearings, the bill advances to a “markup” session where committee members study the legislation, offer amendments, and vote to accept or reject these changes. At the conclusions of the deliberation, committee members vote to determine the bill’s next steps. It can either be reported, with or without amendments, or tabled, where no further action will occur. If reported, a “Committee Report” is written describing the purpose and scope of the bill and the reasons for recommended approval. Then the bill moves to the full House floor for consideration.
There are 20 committees in the House of Representatives, and 16 committees in the Senate. Each of these committees may in turn have several subcommittees. In the case of the HRV Special Resource Study Act, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources and its subcommittee, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands. On January 21, 2010, this subcommittee held a public hearing on the bill and now the bill is scheduled for a markup by the House Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday, February 10, 2010.
A bill originating in the House also needs a sponsor to carry it in the Senate. According to Bob Elliott, a board member of the Hudson Valley Greenway Council and former Mayor of Croton-on-Hudson, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has agreed to carry H.R. 4003. If the Senate changes the language of the legislation, it must return to the House for additional changes or concurrence. Often a conference committee, composed of members of both the House and the Senate, is appointed to resolve the differences between the two legislative bodies.
Step 3: House Vote
The full House votes on the bill.
Step 4: Senate Vote
The full Senate votes on the bill.
Step 5: Signed by the President
If the House and the Senate vote in support of the bill, then the HRV Special Resource Study Act will be sent to the President for signature. If signed, the bill becomes law and the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to study the suitability of establishing the HRV as a unit of the National Park System.