The Congress of the United States is the highest lawmaking body in the...

The Congress of the United States is the highest lawmaking body in the United States and one of the
oldest national legislatures in the world. The U.S. Congress consists of two houses - the Senate and the
House of Representatives. A member of the Senate is referred to as a senator, and a member of the
House of Representatives is called a representative or congressman or congresswoman.
The general process for making a bill into a law is described in the Constitution.
The first step in the legislative process is the introduction of a bill to the Congress. Bills
originate from several different sources: from individual members of the Congress, from a member of
a constituent or a group of constituents, from one or more state legislatures, or the President or his
administration, but only members of the Congress can introduce legislation.
After being introduced, a bill is referred to the appropriate committee for review. There are 17
Senate committees, with 70 subcommittees, and 23 House committees, with 104 subcommittees. A bill
is first considered in a subcommittee, where it may be accepted, amended, or rejected. If the members
of the subcommittee agree to move a bill forward, it is reported to the full committee, where the
process is repeated again. If the full committee votes to approve the bill, it is reported to the House or
the Senate.
When the bill comes up for consideration, the House has a very structured debate process. Each
member who wishes to speak has only a few minutes, and the number and kind of amendments are
usually limited. In the Senate, debate on most bills is unlimited - Senators may speak to issues other
than the bill under consideration during their speeches, and any amendment can be introduced. A bill
must pass both houses of the Congress before it goes to the President for consideration. Once debate
has ended and any amendments to the bill have been approved, the full membership will vote for or
against the bill.
48
The bill is then sent to the President. When receiving a bill from the Congress, the President
has several options. If the President agrees with the bill, he or she may sign it into law. If the President
disagrees with the bill, he may veto it and send it back to the Congress. The Congress may override the
veto with a two-thirds vote of each chamber, at which point the bill becomes law and is printed