Legislative Process Guide
Most people growing up in American are taught how a bill becomes a law multiple times during their education, from elementary school to college. However, most people gradually discard this knowledge over time because they do not rely on it regularly. Even when performing research that relies heavily upon the content of legislation, people tend to neglect the process that is necessary to produce such legislation. It is helpful to review the specifics of the process as it plays an important role in our work.
Remember that our organization covers all 50 state legislatures, in addition to the U.S. Congress. The principle of federalism ensures that every state is afforded its own constitution, legislature, and rules for passing legislation and sending it to the Governor. You'll find that every state's legislative process differs by varying degrees. However, you should also remember that state governments are microcosms of the federal government and their legislatures tend to follow a relatively uniform set of principles and procedures for passing legislation. It is that uniform set of principles and procedures that allows us to cover all 50 states under one program.
This guide is divided into three parts:
Make-Up of the Legislatures
How A Bill Becomes Law
Writing Legislation
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