In Congress Assembled | Lesson Three

For Lesson Three: A Note on Legislation

The work of making laws is a complicated matter, one governed by the Constitution, tradition, and rules of order established over the past two hundred years. The first step is for a bill to be introduced in Congress; thereafter, discussion, debate, revision, and consensus all contribute to the process. Committees meet, recommendations are made, and a majority of both chambers of Congress--the House of Representatives and the Senate--must agree to the bill before sending it on to the President as a law to be considered. In a recent years, it has been estimated that several thousand bills are introduced in Congress each term, and of that number a few hundred are enacted into law.

For futher information, see "How Our Laws Are Made," by Charles W. Johnson, Parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives.