State and Federal Legislation
Bill is the draft of a proposed legislation submitted to Congress for consideration and approval (“bill definition – legal” par. 1). In the United States with a federal form of government, there is a federal (national) government and state (local) government. Both the federal government and the local governments have a legislature or Congress composed of the Senate and House of Representatives. The US Constitution and each of the Constitution of the member-states govern the procedure in the passage of the bill into law (Constitutional Topic par. 1). A bill must be approved by both houses of Congress in order to become a law (What is a bill? par. 0).
There are minor differences in the local level before a bill becomes a law. In New Mexico, the Congress is called “citizen” legislature with 112 members comprising of 42 State Senators and 70 State Representatives with each house referred to as “chamber” (How to Pass par. 4). Other states call their houses as the Senate and House of Representatives as in Michigan (State of Michigan par. 2).
Generally, a bill must go through three readings before becoming a law (State of Michigan, par. 5-11). A bill introduced by a sponsor(s) of either chamber is assigned a number and assigned to two or more committees in a chamber (How to Pass pars. 5-6). Expert witnesses testify on the bill and submitted to the next committee only if passed by the first committee, otherwise, the bill is “dead” (How to Pass par. 7). A majority vote by the members of a house entitles the bill to move on to the next committee and thereafter to the second reading. In New Mexico, a majority vote by the committees a bill has passed through entitles it to be heard in full floor, and with the same vote, transfers it to the other house (How to Pass pars. 8-9). If the other chamber approves the bill, both chambers vote upon it. With a favorable vote, the bill is signed by the Governor to become a law (How to Pass par. 10).
In Michigan, after the bill is introduced and assigned numbers, it is assigned to appropriate committees for deliberation (State of Michigan par. 2-5). The committee may also hold public hearings (State of Michigan, par. 5). The bill may be passed with or without or substituted through the readings or tabled (temporarily removed from consideration) (State of Michigan, pars. 7, 9). The second reading requires a majority vote to pass while the third reading requires a two-thirds or three-fourths vote (State of Michigan, pars. 9-11). The amended or substituted bill is then submitted to the Governor for approval who must consider and review it within 14 days, otherwise it becomes a law (State of Michigan, par. 16). The governor may also veto a bill and return it to the house of origin with the reasons for objection (State of Michigan, par. 19). The veto can be overridden by the Congress with two-thirds vote of the members of each house (State of Michigan, par. 21).
State constitutions follow the same procedure as the US Constitution, thus, they have more or less the same procedures. In the US Congress, a bill may originate from a member of the Senate or House, the constituents, the state legislatures, or the US President or his administration may suggest a bill (Constitutional Topic par. 2). A bill pertaining to healthcare may originate from either house and must be approved by majority vote of both houses (Constitutional Topic par. 2). The bill is now ready for signing by the US President who may approve, veto it whole (can be passed by the Congress again with two-thirds vote, called overriding a veto) or in part or take no action (bill becomes a law after 10 days) (Constitutional Topic pars. 2-4; What is a bill? par. 3).
Amending a Bill
A health bill under consideration may be changed or amended during the deliberation process and debate on the subject. When a health issue is proposed or submitted by a healthcare organization, institution or professional to a member of the House or Senate who is to sponsor the bill, the member may totally adopt the proposal or just take some issues and draft a new bill.
Once the health bill is introduced (title of the bill is read) (State of Michigan par. 2) to the originating house, it undergoes debates and public hearings. A health-related bill contains technical issues that require expert witnesses and testimony from the professional sector such as physicians, surgeons, nurses, health care providers, etc. In the US Congress, members may either belong to the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. The parties have different political platforms and stand on health issues. Thus, it is expected that a healthcare bill prepared or sponsored by either party will be dissected by the other to the detail.
Recent healthcare bills under consideration in the Congress involve the government-sponsored insurance, expenditure on Medicare, abortion, hospital reimbursements and in-home insurance plan (Haberkorn par. 3).
Works Cited
“bill definition – legal”. YourDictionary.com. 2009. Web.
Constitutional Topic: How a Bill Becomes a Law. 2006.
Haberkorn, Jennifer. Lawmakers set to make health bill changes. The Washington Times. 2009.
How to Pass a State Law. Animal Protection of New Mexico, Inc. (APNM). n.d. Web.
State of Michigan. How does a Bill become a Law? michigan.gov. 2009.
What is a bill? n.d. Web.