How a bill becomes law
From filing to Republic Act, in 8 steps.
Thousands of bills are filed every Congress, and only a small share become law. Here’s the path each one takes, and what the statuses on CivicSync mean.
- 1
Filed
A or files the bill and it gets a number, like SB 1294 or HB 4659.
- 2
First reading and committee
The title is read on the , then the bill goes to a . The committee studies it, may hold , and decides whether to recommend it. Most bills never leave this stage.
- 3
Second reading
The whole debates the bill and votes on . The decides when bills get .
- 4
Third reading
The final vote in that chamber, usually at least three days after second reading. No more amendments are allowed.
- 5
The other chamber
The bill goes to the other chamber (House or Senate), which repeats the same steps. Along the way it may change the wording, or pass its own bill on the same topic instead. Either way, each chamber now has its own , and both must match word for word before the bill can become law.
- 6
Bicameral conference
If the two versions differ, even slightly, a small group from each chamber meets to agree on one final text. Both chambers then it.
- 7
The President
The final text is sent to . The President has 30 days to sign or it. If they do neither, it becomes law anyway.
- 8
Republic Act
The bill is now law, with a number. It usually takes effect 15 days after .
Good to know
- Consolidated or substituted means a committee merged similar bills into one . The ideas continue in that bill, even though the original number stops moving.
- Bills don’t carry over. Anything not passed when a ends (every three years) has to be filed again.
- A bill can start in either , except bills about money (spending, taxes, tariffs, public debt) and , which must start in the House.
Simplified from the 1987 Constitution (Article VI) and the rules of the Senate and House. For legal work, check the official rules.