Final answer:
A bill becomes law after it is passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress can override with a two-thirds majority. The bill also becomes law if the President does not act on it within ten days while Congress is in session, unless a pocket veto occurs.
Step-by-step explanation:
How a New Law is Enacted After Passage by Congress and Signature by the President
After both houses of Congress pass a bill, it is then sent to the President for their signature. Signing the bill is the final endorsement needed for the legislation to become a law. If the President signs the bill, it officially becomes law. However, if the President vetoes it, Congress has the power to override this veto with a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Additionally, if the President does not sign or veto a bill within ten days (excluding Sundays) while Congress is in session, it will automatically become law without the President's signature. A unique situation is the pocket veto, which occurs if Congress adjourns during these ten days and the President does not sign the bill, resulting in the legislation not becoming law.
The entire legislative process is an embodiment of the system of checks and balances designed to ensure that no single branch of government can exert unchecked power over the legislative process. Public laws enacted by Congress and the President affect society at large, as opposed to private laws which address individual cases. The enactment phase of the policy is generally highly visible and often feels anticlimactic, as the approval of the bill is sometimes considered a foregone conclusion due to prior agreements during the agenda-setting phase.