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The Bill Becomes A Law Essay

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The process in which a bill becomes a law can be a lengthy one; it must go through many steps in order to become the law of the land. It is believed that this process should be a matter that every American citizen should be informed of in order to fully understand and appreciate the inner workings of congress with regard to The House of Representatives and the Senate. The steps in which a bill becomes a law is an example of the democratic way of life here in The United States. “The fact that a proposal cannot become a law without consideration and approval by both houses of congress is an outstanding virtue of our bicameral legislative system.” (Maes 1-2) Anyone can create a bill not just a member of congress. Any citizen, group or organization can “draw” up a bill just from an idea. The right to petition is guaranteed by the first amendment. These bills are usually written in the form of a letter. It is estimated that more then 15,000 bills are introduced to The House of Representatives and the Senate each year. Each one is then assigned to a committee after it is given a number. Twenty-two of these committees belong to The House of Representatives and fifteen to the Senate. There are four types of committees, they are; the Standing Committee, The Select Committee, The Conference Committee and The Joint Committee. The Standing Committee deals with issues regarding permanent legislation. The Select Committee deals with temporary issues that are in need of
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