The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1895-02-15
HOW CONGRESS PASSES A BILL


It's Journey from Inception to the
Hand of the President.
Youths Companion, to describe the
process by which Congress changes a
"bill,'' that is, measure in the form of
an act, into an ''act," or 4 law. Before
we do so it will be well to remark that
all bills do not so through every step of
the process. There are short cuts. by
which the enactment of bills to which
there is.no objection can be facilitated.
A bill, unless it is one which in
creases or diminishes the revenue, may
originate in either House Of Congress.
In order to exhibit the process in full.
we will follow the imaginary fortunes
of q tariff bill, which can originate In
! the House of Representatives only.
We will suppose that some member
| introduces bill to put steel pens on
| the free list. The import duty Is now
eight cents per gross. or one-sixteenth
of a cent each; and the revenue in 1893
was less than $4,000.
The bill is referred. as matter OF
course. to the Committee on Ways and
Means. and it will never be heard from
again unless that committee reports 1t
| back. A motion is sometimes made tt
| discharge a committee from the con-
! sideratiOn of a certain subject. and to
bring the matter directly before the
| House. But such motion is rarely or
never carried.
1t has been decided that the refer
ence of any part of the tariff to COM
| mittee involves the reference of the
| whole subject. Accordingly the Ways
and Means Committee may report a
| full tariff bill as a substitute for the
bill to make steel pens free Of duty.
! When the committee reports the bill
| it is ''read twice"-that is, the title of
the bill is read-referred to the commit
tee Of the whole, and ordered to be
printed. All revenue and appropria-
ton bills go to the committee of the
! whole, under the rules of the House.
In day set for the consideration OF
! the bill, the House goes into committee
of the whole. A chairman, appointed
by the Speaker, presides. The bill Is
! read by sections and clauses, after gen
eral debate has closed, and any men,
Der may offer amendments. All voting
in committee is by rising; the yeas and
nays are not taken.
When the bill has been gone through
and all amendments have been voted
upon, the committee rises and the
Chairman reports the bill back to the
House with the amendments. Inc
House then votes upon them, either
singly or in gross, and by yeas and nays
if they are ordered to be taken.
The bill is then ordered to be engrOss-
ed. that is. written out in fair hand
lust as it is after being amended. and
to be read third time. AS it Is usu-
ally already engrOssed it is at once read
the third time-by title, as beforehand
passed.
The Clerk takes the bill to the Senate,
by which body it is referred to the FL,
nance Committee. In due time the com
mittee, if it sees fit, and not otherwise
reports the bill back to the Senate,
with propositions to amend. In the
Senate the bill is considered las in
committee Of the WHOLE" the amend
ments of the Finance Committee and
other volunteer amendments are &C
cepted or rejected; they are again
voted upon when the bill is reported
to the Senate from the committee of the
,, whole, and the bill is passed.
As the two houses are not agreed upon
the bill, a committee Of conference
{ usually consisting Of three members
of each branch of Congress, is appoint
: ed. The committee, when 1t has come
to an agreement, reports to each House
and the acceptance Of the report Is tht
final stage of the bill in its passage.
The measure is now enrolled tha'
, | is, it is printed in large. open type upol
parchment, and is taken first to tht
House, where it is signed by the
Speaker; then to the Senate, where the
Vice President signs it; and finally t.
the President, whose approval com
pletes the process, and makes the bill
law.
Congress is notified that the bill ha
been approved. and the original cop!
). of the act is deposited In the office o
the Secretary Of State.