How bills become law in Kentucky A bill is To committee Troubled waters 12introduced Once filed, a bill gets a number and is referred A bill can be assigned to a committee whose chairman Bills are filed in the to a committee that handles similar topics. An opposes it. The chairman can refuse to schedule the bill House or Senate. anti-pollution bill, for example, would go to the for a hearing — known as “stalling” it — or allow a BILL House Natural Resources and Environment hearing but refuse to call a vote. Committee. A bill can be amended inn committee. Help!
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Rescuing a bill If a majority opposes holding a bill in committee, they can vote to “discharge” it from the committee and send it to the floor. But this Floor vote BILL 3 When a committee passes a bill, it goes rarely happens. A bill back to the House or Senate for a floor 8 becomes debate and vote, where a majority of Bill graveyard law if the voting members, in most cases, is Bills on rare occasions can governor ... enough to pass it — be resurrected. 51 if all 100 House RIP Signs it. members Allows it to vote, or 20 BILL RIP become law of 38 senators. RIP without signing it. Pass Fail Vetoes the bill but the veto is overidden by a vote by a Adding baggage constitutional majority in each or gutting a bill chamber — 51 in the Opponents can try to avoid a floor vote House, 20 in the by getting a bill referred to another Compromise Senate. committee. Once on the floor, a bill If the can also be amended during floor 5 If the House and Senate conference debates, and legislators who pass different versions of committee oppose it can try to a bill, each chamber fails to reach a minimize its impact appoints members to a compromise, OFFICE — known as conference committee to the bill dies. OF THE work out a compromise. GOVERNOR “gutting” it — through an amendment. Other The agreed-upon version then goes back to each amendments can improve a billbill. BILL BILL chamber for a final vote. BUZZ On to the other chamber Z BUZZ BILL BUZZUZZ 4 When the Senate passes a bill that was introduced there, it then Bills can be goes to the House and is referred to a House committee, and held “hostage” vice versa. The bill goes through the same committee and floor Two versions — set aside of the same bill vote procedures. In addition to the usual committee and until the Senate floor debate risks, bills that pass one chamber can run into or House acts Final vote greater opposition once they go to the other side, especially on bills 6 If the House and Senate when the House and Senate are controlled by considered a accept the compromise, different political parties. priority by the the bill passes and goes Pass other chamber. to the governor. If either chamber doesn’t like the BILL compromise, lawmakers can reject it.
Governorr Fail Fail 7 The governorr has 10 days to Pass act on a bill after receiving it. A bill will not become law if ... The governor vetoes the bill and the House or Senate fails to override the veto. Source: Courier-Journal research By Steve Reed, The Courier-Journal
Page 20 | KY | SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2008 courier-journal.com