How a Bill Becomes a Law
Learn about the Constitutional, political, partisan, and administrative processes involved in passing legislation.
Transcript
I. Introduction
Proposed legislation faces an uphill battle to become actual law. During the five congressional sessions between 2011 and 2020, only 4 to 7 percent of the bills submitted were enacted into law. One author has commented that the lawmaking process is, quote, “filled with opportunities for opponents of [proposed] legislation to obstruct its passage,” unquote.
The Constitution lays out certain requirements for enacting legislation. Each house also has its own rules and customs, and...
