Introduction
Every country is governed by some laid down rules and regulations, which the citizens are expected to abide by. Congress makes the laws in the United States. It is made up of the House of Representatives, and the senate (The U.S Constitution Online). Before an idea becomes a law, it has to go through several stages.
Stage 1
Every law starts as a suggestion or idea, which a member of the congress has, and introduces it to the congress. Such an idea is what is termed a bill. The bill is put in writing and then presented to the House of Representatives by the senator or representative, who proposes the bill. After the bill is introduced, it has to be approved by both houses; the House of Representatives and the senate, for it to become a law (Donovan, 2004).
Stage 2
The two houses are each divided into committees which are also divided into smaller sub-committees. After the introduction of a bill, it is given to a committee, who then hold meetings where people who support the bill are called to give their opinions to the committee members as to why they think the bill should be made into law. The sub-committee members question those who come before the committee so as to decide whether the bill is a viable cause or not. After the hearings, the sub-committee members pass their judgment on the bill then pass it on to the larger committee and if they vote yes, the bill proceeds to the next stage.
Stage 3
During this stage, the bill is discussed by members of the committee of the whole house. A second reading of the bill is done just before debating starts. Here, corrections to be made on the bill are suggested, discussed, and later voted on. The bill is then taken back to the whole House of Representatives, where the corrections done to the bill are passed judgment on. If the bill passes this final test, it is then put together and put into official writing (Smith, 2008).
Stage 4
This stage deals with ensuring that both the House of Representatives and the senate have one version of the bill. Here, the house which introduced the bill is given a copy of the bill with the changes done. If the changes are major ones, then some members of the House of Representatives and some from the senate meet and make corrections, aimed at reconciling both versions of the bill. Then follows more discussions and when they finally reach a point where they all agree upon, it is taken back to their respective houses and voted on again. If it passes this stage, it moves on to the last stage.
Stage 5
This is the final stage in the determination of whether a bill becomes law or not. The bill has to have been signed by the speaker of the house and the president of the Senate before it is given to the president. The president has a maximum of ten days to sign the bill after which, if the ten days are over before he signs it, it automatically becomes law. The signing of the bill finally makes it into law and from here on, it can be published, for easier access to the public.
References
Donovan, S. (2004). Making Laws: A Look at How a Bill Becomes a Law: How Government Works. New York: Lerner publications.
Smith, H. (2008). Congress in action (How a bill becomes a law). New York: Wildside Press LLC.
The U.S Constitution Online. Constitutional Topic: How a Bill Becomes a Law. Web.