Question

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Creating laws is the U.S. House of Representatives’ most important job. All laws in the United States begin as bills. Before a bill can become a law, it must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. Let’s follow a bill’s journey to become law.

The Bill Begins

Laws begin as ideas. These ideas may come from a Representative—or from a citizen like you. Citizens who have ideas for laws can contact their Representatives to discuss their ideas. If the Representatives agree, they research the ideas and write them into bills.

The Bill Is Proposed

When a Representative has written a bill, the bill needs a sponsor. The Representative talks with other Representatives about the bill in hopes of getting their support for it. Once a bill has a sponsor and the support of some of the Representatives, it is ready to be introduced.

The Bill Is Introduced

In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill is introduced when it is placed in the hopper—a special box on the side of the clerk’s desk. Only Representatives can introduce bills in the U.S. House of Representatives.

When a bill is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill clerk assigns it a number that begins with H.R. A reading clerk then reads the bill to all the Representatives, and the Speaker of the House sends the bill to one of the House standing committees.

–"How Laws Are Made,” Office of the Clerk
20 POINTS HURRY PLEASE
Read the passage. What is the author’s purpose for writing the text?

to entertain the reader with amusing facts about the US government
to argue that the US legislature is the most effective one in the world
to compare US laws with laws of other countries
to explain how laws are made in the United States

Answer 1

The author wrote the text to explain the detailed process a bill goes through to become a law in the United States, including introduction, legislative process, and potential presidential action.

Step-by-step explanation:

The author's purpose for writing the text is to explain how laws are made in the United States. This informative piece outlines the journey of a bill becoming a law, beginning with an idea, possibly from a citizen or a Representative, and requiring the approval of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and the President. It includes the steps of proposing, introducing, assigning a bill number (H.R.), committee consideration, debating, amending, and the roles of the President including the potential for a presidential veto or automatic passage if the President does not act within ten days. The process aims to establish a clear understanding of the legislative process within the U.S. government.