These important comments about this process should be noted. The legislative process is deliberately complex everywhere to assure full consideration of new laws and policies. The vast majority of bills never receive any action at all, and only a minority of those that are seriously considered ever make their way successfully through the entire legislative obstacle course to win enactment. This is a very simplified description. There are innumerable fine points that often differ significantly, not only from legislature to legislature, but also from house to house within the same legislature.
Every legislative body has informal practices and customs that can be as important as the rules.
For example, legislative hearings are common in some legislatures, rare in others. Key policy decisions are made by the leadership in some legislatures, by a policy committee in other bodies, and by majority party caucus in yet others. Every legislative body has its own distinct quirks and folkways. Laws are grown in the sunshine. With few exceptions, the legislative process is a very open one.