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A simple majority is required in each house
House and Senate members compose a single bill from the two versions
President can sign the bill or veto it
committees approve, rewrite, or kill a bill
a bill is debated, altered, and voted on in each house
introduction of the bill by the house or senate
After the first reading, the Speaker refers the bill to one or more of the standing committees. A bill’s content largely determines where it will go. The Speaker does have some discretion, however, particularly over complex measures with provisions covering a number of subjects. Which committee gets a bill can matter. For example, a controversial provision in the bill might receive a more favorable welcome in one committee than it might in another.
A bill is a proposed law presented to the House or Senate for consideration. Most of the bills introduced in either house do not originate with members themselves. Instead, however, many of the most important bills are born somewhere in the executive branch. Business, labor, agriculture, and other special interest groups often draft measures, as well. And some bills, or at least the ideas for them, come from private citizens who think “there ought to be a law. . .” Many others are born in the standing committees of Congress.
Once a bill reaches a committee, the chairman almost always refers it to one of several subcommittees. For an important or controversial measure, a committee, or most often one of its subcommittees, holds public hearings. Interested parties, including the representatives of interest groups, public officials, and others, are invited to testify at these information-gathering sessions. If necessary, a committee can issue a subpoena, forcing a witness to testify. A subpoena is an order compelling one to testify and/or produce evidence. Failure to obey a subpoena may lead the House or Senate to cite the offender for contempt of Congress—a federal crime punishable by fine and/or imprisonment.