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A bill is simply an idea that someone would like to see become law. It could be
anything from the penalty for committing a crime to the amount of money that can
be spent on a state program.
The idea can come from anyone, but only a Representative or Senator can take
that idea and guide it to final passage through the General Assembly.
Drafting a bill simply means putting the idea into legal language and making
sure it meets the requirements of the Joint Rules of the House and Senate. The
actual drafting is done by the Bureau of Legislative Research.
Introduction of a bill can be made by any member of the House or Senate, and
more than one legislator can sponsor a bill. A bill is given to the Chief Clerk
of the House or the Secretary of the Senate and assigned a number. The sponsor(s)
of a bill signs the original copy.
First and Second Readings are the next steps. It is customary for a bill to
be read the first and second time on the same day, but only the number and title
are read unless the members vote otherwise. After reading, a bill is assigned to
committee.
There are 10 Standing Committees in the House and nine similar Standing
Committees in the Senate. Each House committee has 20 members; Senate committees
have seven or eight members each. There are five joint committees made up of
members from both the House and Senate.
During legislative sessions, committees usually meet in the morning to
examine bills. Committees generally are where public comments are gathered on
proposed legislation. During a committee hearing, the Senator or Representative
sponsoring a bill will explain the measure and often will bring in expert
testimony as support. Those who oppose a bill will also present their case, and
frequently the committee will hold public hearings.
Committee action is crucial to the legislative process. A committee’s
responsibility is to examine a bill carefully and make one of three
recommendations: "Do Pass," "Do Pass as Amended," or "Do Not Pass."
The committee report on a bill is read to the entire membership of the House
or Senate. If a member of the General Assembly wants to change the wording of a
bill, add something or take something out of a bill, the Senator or
Representative will "amend" the bill. While any legislator can propose an
amendment, it takes a majority of the entire membership of one house to adopt an
amendment. Once adopted, the amended bill must be considered by a committee.
When the committee has completed its deliberations, the bill is put in final
form with or without amendments and placed on the Calendar. The bill is now
ready to be read a third time, debated and voted on by the entire membership of
the House or Senate. It is up to the bill’s sponsor to bring it up for final
consideration.
Most bills can be passed by a majority vote (51 in the House; 18 in the
Senate), but most bills that appropriate money and some that increase taxes
require a three-fourth’s vote of the membership of each body.
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