How a Bill becomes a Law
PROGRESSION OF A BILL IN PENNSYLVANIA
Either a Representative or Senator starts with an IDEA. This IDEA should ultimatly come from the PEOPLE but doesn’t have to.
INTERSTING FACET: During the two-year session of the Legislature, between 4,000 and 5,000 bills are introduced in both Houses, just inthe state of Pennsylvania alone.
How a BILL from the SENATE PROGESSES
This Idea is filed with the Secretary Parliamentarian of the Senate.
The Parliamentarian (the “Legislative Reference Bureau)” then gives the bill a number and delivers it to the President Pro Tempore.
The President Pro Tempore then must refer the bill to a committee within 14 days.
The Parliamentarian will then give the “numbered bill” to the chairman of the designated committee.
How a BILL from the HOUSE PROGESSES
A member of the House files the bill with the Chief Clerk (the “Legislative Reference Bureau”)
At the end of each day’s session in the House, the Chief Clerk will deliver all bills to the Speaker of the House.
The Speaker of the House then delivers it to the appropriate standing committee.
The next day the Speaker announces the previous day’s bills to the entire House as well as the Senate and the public are included in that distribution.
The Committees
INTERSTING FACT: Obviously, it would be impossible for the Senate and House to get through the voluminous legislative business of enacting new laws; amending present ones; appropriating money; investigating governmental operations and all the other duties that devolve upon the General Assembly without the effective procedure of a committee system.
There are approximately twenty-two standing committees in the Senate and approximately twenty-seven with sub-committees in the House.
The committee will then discuss the bill. I am not sure how changes are made in committee. I would guess if changes are made the bill would only need to go back to the Legislative Reference Bureau to be re-typed.
The committee takes a vote to put it to a First Consideration
The bill can have a public hearing. But it does not need to have a public hearing
The bill can be committed as is. WITH NO CHANGES
When the Senate or House are NOT In Session?
The popular opinion is that when the Legislature is not meeting, nothing is being done.
WRONG
The fact is that most of the work of the session is being carried forward by these standing committees when the General Assembly is not in session.
Once a bill is in committee, the committee has full power over it.
Sometimes it is referred by the chairman to a sub-committee with instructions to study and make a report of its recommendations to the main committee.
Reporting the Bill to the Floor
One of the committee members reports the bill to the Floor, either as committed (which means without change), as amended (with change), or, in rare instances with a negative recommendation. The committee may also decide not to report the bill at all.
Interestingly …
The Senate or House, by a majority vote of the members elected, may discharge its committees from consideration of any bill.
HERE WE GO…. THE BILL’S FIRST APPERANCE (consideration) IN CONGRESS
First Consideration in the SENATE
When a committee favorably reports a bill to the Senate it is given a first consideration.
This counts as day 1 of 3. Remember that.
There are no debates,
There are no votes
Ther no amendments from the floor in either Chamber.
In the Senate, the bill is automatically placed on the calendar for a second day or second consideration.
There may be an objection. (The Constitution of Pennsylvania requires that each bill shall be considered on three different days in both the Senate and House).
During this First Consideration… No Debate nor Amendments are permitted from the Floor.
The bill is voted on or agreed to and is advanced (automaticly) to the calendar for second consideration.
Second Consideration in the SENATE
Senators may now propose amendments from the Floor of the Senate, of course they must be germane to the subject of the bill. I am not sure but in the U.S. Congress when an amedment is not related to the bill they call that “PORK.” That’s not allowed in Pennsyalania.
POSSIBLE ACTIONS
A debate is permitted
An amendment is permitted (must be reprinted)
Vote is permitted
When a bill has been agreed to on “second consideration,” it is then placed on the next day’s calendar (automaticly) for third consideration.
If amendments are made and agreed to it must be reprinted.
Third Consideration in the SENATE
HERE WE GO….FINALY
This will be the third day.
After consideration and then agreeing to the bill a third time it will be advanced to the final passage, at which time its merits may be debated.
POSSIBLE ACTIONS
Amendment permitted on third consideration
(If amended, bill is reprinted and requires six hours before final passage vote)
No amendments allowed on final passage
Debate permitted on final passage
Bills must be in printed form and on desks of Senators
26 votes required for final passage
The bill may also be amended again if agreed to.
Agreed to means the bill was voted “yea” by the majority elected.
At the conclusion of the debate, the roll of Senators is called and, if a constitutional majority of twenty-six Senators votes in its favor, the bill passes the Senate.
On a special class of appropriation bills, the Constitution requires a larger majority—two-thirds of the elected membership in each house.
The bill still has a long way to go before it becomes law and may never become law.
Sending it to the House
After the bill has passed the Senate, it is transmitted to the House by the Senate Messagener Clerk. The Chief Clerk of the House signs a receipt for the bill, and it is then handed over to the Speaker of the House, who refers it to one of the House Standing Committees.
In the HOUSE
A member of the House files the bill with the Chief Clerk ???
At the end of each day’s session in the House, the Chief Clerk will deliver all bills to the Speaker of the House.
The Speaker of the House then delivers it to the appropriate standing committee.
The next day the Speaker announces the previous day’s bills to the entire House, the entire Senate and for public distribution.
First Consideration in the HOUSE
If the bill is reported from committee, it follows somewhat the same course of passage as in the Senate except in the area of first consideration. The bill is agreed to BUT…..
POSSIBLE ACTIONS
No debate
No amendment
Laid on table
Laid on the Table
When the bill is reported from committee and given first consideration, it is not automatically moved on to a second consideration but is laid on the table.
When it is laid on the table it becomes inactive, but it can only stay that way for up to fifteen legislative days.
Once the fifteen days are up, the bill is removed from the table and placed on the calendar for second consideration.
It may be removed from the table by a motion from the Majority Leader, or his designee, acting on a report by the Rules Committee.
Such report must be in writing and a copy thereof distributed to each Member.
When the bill is so removed from the table, it is placed on the second consideration calendar on the legislative day following such removal.
Additionally, a member of the House can motion for a bill to be removed from the table as long as they have the support of the majority of the members.
I think I would call this a fast track or rushing the bill along instead of waiting 15 days.
After Fifteen Days on the Table or Sooner
If the bill remains on the table for fifteen legislative days, it is automatically removed from the table and placed on the calendar for second consideration the next legislative day
NOW IT GETS MORE INTERESTING OR CONFUSING.
BUT…. HOWEVER – Between first Monday in June & first Monday in September
If the bill is reported out of committee between the first Monday in June and the first Monday in September to the House of Representatives, it is sent to the Rules Committee after first consideration.
After the first Monday in September, all bills so re-referred to are automatically reported from the Committee, laid on the table. It is then given the second consideration either by motion or after fifteen days.
To be taken off the table, the procedure above must be followed.
DID YOU KNOW?
In the House, No Bills are moved to Second Consideration during the summer (June, July & August).
Second Consideration
POSSIBLE ACTIONS
Must be called up for consideration
Debate permitted
Amendment permitted (If amended, bill is reprinted)
Vote permitted
Third and Final Passage in the HOUSE
Second consideration, third consideration, and final passage procedure is the same as in the Senate with one hundred and two votes ot more being the constitutional majority required for final passage in the House.
24 more hours
Amendment permitted on third consideration (If amended, bill is reprinted and requires 24 hours before final passage vote)
No amendment on final passage
Debate permitted on final passage
102 votes required for final passage
If a bill is amended on third consideration, it is reprinted and requires 24 hours before final passage vote.
Amendments from the House or the Senate
The House may amend a Senate bill, in which case it is returned to the Senate for concurrence in the House amendments.
The Senate may amend House bills in the same manner.
Defeating the Bill
Either house may defeat the bill of the other house, either in committee or on the Floor.
How are Refusal to Amendments Handled?
The Six….
A Conference Committee is formed.
Three members are chosen from each House by The Speaker & Pres Pro Tempore respectively for a total of SIX.
Their job is to resolve the differences between the two houses on the bill. When an agreement is reached their report is sent to their respective houses
The Conference Committee Report is presented.
The Senate requires waiting six hours before voting.
The House requires waiting 24 hours before voting.
Both the Senate and the Houses must have a constitutional majority for the adoption of a Conference Committee Report.
When a Bill has Finally Passed both the Senate and the House.
When a bill has finally passed in both houses, it is signed by the both the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House in the presence of each house elected members.
The Governor’s Consideration
The bill is then transmitted to the Governor for his consideration.
If he approves, he signs the bill, and it becomes a law.
The BILL is TRANSMITTED BY the GOVERNOR’S OFFICE TO the STATE DEPARTMENT FOR CERTIFICATION, ASSIGNMENT OF ACT NUMBER AND FILING
STATE DEPARTMENT – Legislative Reference Bureau
A COPY IS TRANSMITTED TO “LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU” FOR PREPARATION TO BE PRINTED
GOVERNOR REFERS BILL TO ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR OPINION AS TO LEGALITY AND CONSTITUTIONALITY
If the Governor does not act upon a bill within ten calendar days after he or she has received it and, while the General Assembly is in session, it automatically becomes law.
The Governor’s Veto
If he vetoes the bill it will be returned to the house of origin, together with the Governor’s reasons for the veto.
If vetoed — bill is given a veto number by the State Department and returned to house of origin for possible further action.
The General Assembly has the power to pass a bill over the Governor’s veto by a constitutional vote of bill over the Governor’s veto. A constitutional vote of two-thirds of the Members in both Houses house will overtide a Governor’s VETO.
No Action – Automatically Becomes Law
After final adjournment of the current General Assembly (Decemebr 31, 2025), the Governor has thirty days to act upon the remaining bills passed by both houses.
The Governor has til January 30th, 2026 to veto a bill or it becomes law.
Bills on which the Govenor takes no action automatically become law.
It is rare indeed for a bill to become law because of the Governor taking no action.
DID YOU KNOW
When a Bill is Given an Act Number
The official certified copy of each bill approved by the Governor is placed in the custody of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, given an act number and filed in the State Department. It then loses its identity as a bill and becomes an “Act of the General Assembly.” The Legislative Reference Bureau, the agency in which the bill originated, prepares the act for printing.
The Director of the Bureau, in punctuating and editing the act may, with the approval of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Office of Attorney General, make any corrections which will not in any manner affect or change the meaning, intent or substance of the act.
Examples of such corrections are misspelled words, typographical errors, plural or singular number, past, present or future tense appears where another should be used, a word clearly should have been omitted, etc.
What is a Pamphlet Law?
What are Advanced Copies of Enacted Statues?
After all this is done, the Bureau publishes the acts in book form, known as the Pamphlet Laws, for distribution to the courts, attorneys, libraries and citizens of our Commonwealth who may request them. There is also an individual copy of the act printed for distribution, and they are called “advanced copies of enacted statutes.” This saves sending a copy of the bound P.L.s when just one act is desired – this then is the law
Explanation to Facilitate Reading of Legislative Bills
■ [Light face brackets] are used only in bills amending an existing law. They indicate that anything enclosed thereby appears in the existing law, but that it is proposed to omit it from the law as amended. The brackets and anything enclosed by them are carried along into the law, if the bill is finally enacted.
■ Underscoring is used only in bills amending an existing law. It indicates that the underscored matter does not appear in the existing law, but that it is proposed to insert it in the law as amended. The underscored matter will be carried into the law if the bill is finally enacted.
■ Ellipses (***) are used only in bills amending an existing law. They indicate omitted law which is not proposed to be changed in the bill.
■ [Dark face brackets] are used only in bills that have been amended, either in committee or on the Floor of either house. They indicate brackets inserted by such amendment and have the same effect as light face brackets.
■ Strike out type is used only in bills that have been amended either in committee or on the Floor of either house. They indicate that anything so printed appeared in a previous print of the bill but is to be deleted and will not appear in the text of the law if the bill is finally enacted.
■ CAPITAL LETTERS are used only in bills that have been amended, either by committee or on the Floor of either house. They indicate that the matter in capital letters did not appear in the original print of the bill but was inserted into the bill by amendment in either house. The matter in capital letters will be carried into the law, if the bill is finally enacted, in ordinary print, unless it is also underscored, in which case it will be printed in italics.
■ Strike out type and CAPITAL LETTERS indicate only the amendments made to the bill at the last previous stage of passage. All prior strike out amendments are dropped entirely from the new print, and all insert amendments previously shown in CAPITAL LETTERS are reset in lower case type. The one exception to this rule is a house bill amended more than once in the Senate or a Senate bill amended more than once in the house will, on the second and subsequent printings, cumulate all amendments made in the latter House, so that all amendments in which concurrence by the House of origin is required will stand out.
■ The line immediately preceding the title of the bill shows the stage of passage at which the amendments appearing on that print were made. All preceding printer numbers of each bill are shown in consecutive order in a line at the top of the first page of each bill.
Another way to explain it
HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW IN PENNSYLVANIA
Introduction: Anyone may draft a bill; however, only members of the General Assembly can introduce legislation, and by doing so become the
sponsor(s).
There are three basic types of legislation in Pennsylvania: bills,
house resolutions, and senate resolutions.
The official legislative process
begins when a bill or resolution is numbered – HB signifies a House bill and
SB a Senate bill – referred to a committee and printed by the Legislative
Reference Bureau.
Step 1. Referral to Committee: Bills are usually referred to standing committees in the House or Senate according to carefully delineated rules of procedure.
Step 2. Committee Action: When a bill reaches a committee it is placed on the committee’s calendar. It is at this point that a bill is examined carefully and its chances for passage are determined. If the committee does not act on a bill, it is their equivalent of killing it.
Step 3. Scheduling Floor Action: After a bill is reported back to the chamber where it originated, it is placed in chronological order on the calendar. In the House there are several different legislative calendars, and the Speaker and Majority Leader largely determine if, when, and in what order bills come up. The Senate also has several legislative calendars.
Step 4. Debate: When a bill reaches the floor of the House or Senate, there are rules or procedures governing the debate. These rules determine the conditions and amount of time allocated for debate.
Step 5. Voting: After the debate and the approval of any amendments, the bill is passed or defeated by the members voting. ????
Step 6. Referral to Other Chamber: When a bill is passed by the House or the Senate it is referred to the other chamber where it usually follows the same route through committee and floor action.
This chamber may approve the bill as received, reject it, ignore it, or amend it.
Step 7. Conference Committee Action: If only minor changes are made to a bill by the other chamber, it is common for the legislation to go back to the first chamber for concurrence. However, when the actions of the other chamber significantly alter the bill, a conference committee is formed to reconcile the differences.
If the conferees are unable to reach agreement, the legislation dies. If agreement is reached, a conference report is prepared describing the committee member’s recommendations for changes.
Both the House and the Senate must approve of the conference report. This mainly happens when legislative chambers are led by different parties.
Step 8. Final Actions: After a bill has been approved by the House and Senate in identical form, it is sent to the Governor. If the Governor has Four options.
A. The Governor approves of the legislation and signs it, the bill becomes law.
B. The Governor can take no action for ten days, and it automatically becomes law.
C. If the Governor opposes the bill, she or he can veto it.
D. The Governor can also hold the bill for a time without taking action, either signature or veto, for 10 days while the General Assembly is in session or 30 days after final adjournment, after which it will automatically become law.
Step 9. Overriding a Veto: If the Governor vetoes a bill, the General Assembly may attempt to “override the veto.” This requires a two-thirds roll call vote of the members who are present in sufficient numbers for a quorum.