A bill can be introduced in either chamber of Congress by a senator or representative who sponsors it. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The president then considers the bill.

The Senate shares full legislative power with the House of Representatives. In addition, the Senate has exclusive authority to approve–or reject–presidential nominations to executive and judicial offices, and to provide–or withhold–its “advice and consent” to treaties negotiated by the executive.

The Vice President is the most powerful person in the Senate. House members serve for two years and Senate members serve for four years.

A bill is proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act of the legislature, or a statute.

Bills from each house are assigned a number in the order in which they are introduced, starting at the beginning of each Congress (first and second sessions).

The Process of Passing a Bill

• 1 FIRST READING. Any idea for a new law or a change to current law is written down.
• 2 SECOND READING. The bill is given a Second Reading in the Chamber where it is introduced, where parliamentarians debate the idea behind the bill.
• 3 COMMITTEE STAGE.
• 4 REPORT STAGE.
• 5 THIRD READING.
• 6 ROYAL ASSENT.

California Law Bills that are passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor are assigned a chapter number by the Secretary of State. These Chaptered Bills (also referred to as Statutes of the year they were enacted) then become part of the California Codes.

Initiated state constitutional amendment An initiated constitutional amendment is an amendment to a state’s constitution that results from petitioning by a state’s citizens. By utilizing this initiative process, citizens can propose and vote on constitutional amendments directly, without need of legislative referral.

The Governor has three choices: sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without his or her signature, or veto it. A governor’s veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both houses.

Bills that require an appropriation or that take effect immediately, generally require 27 votes in the Senate and 54 votes in the Assembly to be passed. Other bills generally require 21 votes in the Senate and 41 votes in the Assembly. If a bill is defeated, the Member may seek reconsideration and another vote.