Understanding the
Legislative Process
Very
few bills become law. As an example, lawmakers in the 111th Congress
introduced more than 10,600 bills, yet only about 300 were actually
enacted into law. The process by which a bill becomes a law can be
fraught with filibusters, funding challenges and a variety of other
legislative hurdles. Here’s a brief summary of the legislative
process and how you can play an active role in it:
Ideas for new
laws originate from many sources, but only a member of Congress can
introduce legislation. Constituents, either as individuals or through
organizations such as FRA, may ask or “petition” legislators
to introduce a bill. FRA sends an annual legislative agenda to Capitol
Hill and frequently meets with lawmakers and their staff to propose
legislation that will benefit our members.
Once
legislation is introduced, it is referred to the committee or committees
with jurisdiction over the subject of the bill. A committee will usually
pass the legislation on to a subcommittee, which is smaller and has a
more narrow focus than the full committee.
The
subcommittee can amend, or “mark-up,” the legislation to
make it more specific or address specific concerns. When the mark-up is
complete, the final version of the bill is voted on by the subcommittee.
If the bill fails to get a majority vote in subcommittee, it dies. If
the measure is approved by the subcommittee, it is sent back to the full
committee, or “reported out.” The full committee may further
amend the measure or vote on it as it was approved by the
subcommittee.
During this
process, committees and subcommittees conduct hearings to facilitate a
full and open discussion about a pending bill. Witnesses with expertise
on the subject at hand are invited to testify about the merits and
shortcomings of particular bill, either in person or in writing. FRA is
regularly invited to share its views during hearings and in written
statements presented to the committee or subcommittee holding the
hearings. This discussion often results in improvements to a bill or in
the eventual defeat of the measure if it’s determined to be an
unwise proposal.
If approved
at the committee level, the bill is reported out to the House or Senate
and is placed on the House or Senate calendar for debate by the full
chamber. The House Rules Committee sets the parameters of the debate in
that chamber, determining what, if any, floor amendments shall be
considered and what length of time will be set aside for floor debate.
The Senate has fewer restrictions on floor debate, but any senator can
filibuster a bill indefinitely. A filibuster (endless debate on the
bill) can be stopped by a cloture vote that requires 60 votes. When
debate concludes, the bill is voted on by the full chamber.
Often similar
bills move through the House and Senate at the same time. For example,
the House and Senate usually have their own versions of the annual the
defense authorization legislation. After each chamber approves its
respective version of the bill, a conference committee is appointed to
reconcile the differences between the two bills.
Both chambers
must approve identical legislation before it can be sent to the White
House for final approval, so it is the conference committee’s job
to find common ground and draft a compromise measure, or
“conference report,” that is presented to the House and
Senate for a final vote. If approved in both chambers, the bill is sent
to the President, where he may do one of the following:
- Sign the bill into law;
- Veto the bill and send it back to
Congress with suggested changes;
- Take no action while Congress is in
session, in which case the bill will become law in 10 days;
or
- Take no action and let the bill die
after Congress has adjourned for the session (pocket veto).
If the
President vetoes a bill, Congress may override his decision with a
two-thirds vote in both chambers (67 votes in the Senate and 290 votes
in the House).
Get Involved
It’s important for shipmates to remember there is no law
protecting their military or veterans benefits. What Congress gives,
Congress can take away. FRA was established in 1924 to protect military
pay and benefits, and our mission hasn’t changed. Today’s
FRA gives current and former Sea Service enlisted members a voice on
Capitol Hill and, now more than ever, shipmates’ voices need to be
heard. Through our combined efforts, FRA and its members have spoken out
to halt health care fee increases, increase pay, significantly improve
health care and other benefits, and enhance a variety of quality-of-life
programs
The
legislative process is complex and heavily influenced by grassroots
pressure from advocacy groups like FRA and individuals communicating
with their respective members of Congress. There is strength in numbers
and this combined approach is more likely to persuade members of
Congress to see, and act on, our point of view.
FRA
encourages all members to be as informed as possible about legislative
initiatives that impact them. In addition to the “On & Off the
Hill” section of FRA
Today, the Association offers several ways
shipmates can stay up to date on new bills being introduced and their
progress toward enactment.
NewsBytes: NewsBytes is FRA’s
weekly e-mail update that provides a snapshot of what’s happening
on Capitol Hill. It’s distributed each Friday afternoon to
subscribers, or shipmates can listen to a recorded version by calling
1-800-FRA-1924, ext. 112. To subscribe, please e-mail newsbytes@fra.org with
“Subscribe” in the subject line and your name and address in
the body. If you are a member of FRA, please include your member number
as well.
FRA’s Action Center: It’s easy to share your views with your elected officials
using FRA’s Action
Center at www.fra.org. The website offers pre-written e-mail
messages (or users can draft their own) that address specific
legislative issues that can be sent to members of Congress or local
media outlets with the click of a button. The Action Center also allows
users to see which bills their legislators are
supporting.
Making Waves: When
you use the Action Center to weigh in on a particular issue, FRA works
hard to keep you posted on the progress of that initiative. When
legislative proposals threaten existing benefits, FRA sends
Making Waves to
those shipmates via e-mail, inviting them to reiterate their concerns to
their elected officials.
It’s vitally important for FRA shipmates to be
informed about legislative proposals that affect them and share their
opinions on these proposals with their elected officials. Communicating
concerns to your representative and senators is at the heart of
FRA’s grassroots lobbying efforts and has a direct influence on
the Association’s ability to effectively represent shipmates and
their families on Capitol Hill.
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