Final answer:
Lawmakers can pass, amend, reject, or discuss a bill. Following committee debates and potential amendments, a bill goes to the House or Senate floor. If passed by both and reconciled, it goes to the president for approval or veto.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a bill is proposed, lawmakers attempt various actions including trying to pass the bill, amend the bill, reject the bill, or simply discuss the bill. After Introduction, if the bill receives enough support during the committee stages, which include hearings and the markup stage, it then moves on to the House or Senate floor through a structured debate and amending process organized by the House Committee on Rules or the Senate's more flexible discussion norms.
Following the debate, both the House of Representatives and the Senate must vote on the bill. If it passes both, any differences between the two versions must be reconciled, potentially involving a conference committee, before the bill can advance to the president for signing into law or a possible veto, which can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both chambers.
If a committee chooses not to advance a bill at the markup stage, the bill is tabled, often meaning it is dead. However, even tabled bills can sometimes be revived for another vote. If the committee agrees to advance it after this stage, the bill is printed and progresses towards the next stages of the legislative process.