How A Law is Made

The General Assembly approves - and the governor signs - hundreds of bills each year. Here is the process each goes through on its way to becoming law.

1. A bill is introduced by a representative. The House clerk reads it to the membership. A bill also can be introduced in the Senate. In either case, the procedure is the same.

2. The House speaker assigns the bill to a committee of reference for a hearing. If a bill carries a financial impact, it is assigned to the Appropriations Committee.

3. The committee must conduct a hearing and take a vote. The committee can:

• Recommend passage of the bill.
• Amend the bill and recommend passage as amended.
• Delay making a recommendation.
• Recommend assignment to a different committee.
• Indefinitely postpone consideration of the bill, which kills it.

4. The bill returns to the House floor for a second reading. The House has several options. It can:

• Recommend passage as is and schedule a final vote.
• Amend the bill, recommend passage as amended, and schedule a final vote.
• Refer the bill to a different committee.
• Strike the enabling clause of the bill, which kills it.

5. The bill is engrossed (printed with any changes) for a third and final reading. After the third reading, the House can:

• Pass the bill.
• Defeat the bill.
• Amend it again and either pass it or defeat it.

6. The bill goes to Senate, where it goes through steps one - five again.

7. If the bill passes the Senate without any changes, it goes to the governor.

8. If the bill passes the Senate with changes, the bill goes back to the House. The House can:

• Accept the changes, sending the bill to the governor.
• Reject the changes, then decide to let the bill die or send it to a conference committee.

9. A conference committee tries to iron out differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill. The committee can:

• Agree on a compromise.
• Fail to agree, and then make a decision to:
• Let the bill sit unresolved until the assembly adjourns, thereby killing the bill.
• Form a new conference committee.
• Recommend to the House and Senate that the bill be postponed indefinitely, which kills the bill.

10. Both the House and the Senate vote on the conference committee version of the bill. Either chamber can:

• Approve the compromise version of the bill, sending it to the governor.
• Reject the compromise version of the bill, killing it.

11. Once the governor receives a bill, he can:

• Sign the bill, making it a law.
• Veto the bill, which sends it back to the House. The bill becomes law if two-thirds of both the House and Senate vote to override the veto.
• Let the bill become law without his signature after ten days.