Bill (proposed law)

Bill (proposed law)
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For other uses, see Bill.

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A bill is a proposed new law (or a proposed amendment to an existing law) introduced for debate within a legislature. Even after a bill has been passed by the legislature, it is still formally called a "bill". Once a bill has been formally approved by the executive (in presidential systems) or the formal head of government (in parliamentary systems) and consequently become law ("adopted"), it is called an "act", but the two terms are often used interchangeably in popular usage (or some moments of scholarly imprecision). In the United States, bills have a sponsor (also called "introducer") and sometimes cosponsors. In parliamentary systems, most bills are introduced by the government, and a bill introduced by an individual member of parliament is called a "private member's bill" or (individual MP's) "legislative motion".

1 Numbering of bills in the United States
2 Approval
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

Numbering of bills in the United States

All bills originating in the U.S. House of Representatives begin with "H.R." and all bills originating from the U.S. Senate begin with an "S".

In the United States, bills can have the same number because every two years, at the start of odd-numbered years, the United States Congress recommences numbering from 1. Each two-year span is called a Congress, and each Congress is divided into year-long periods called sessions.¹

Approval

Bills passed by the legislature usually require the approval (often called assent, especially in constitutional monarchies) of the executive such as the monarch, president, or governor to become law.²

In parliamentary systems, this is normally a formality (since the executive is under the de facto control of the legislature), although in rare cases approval may be refused or reserved.

In presidential systems, the need to receive approval can be used as a political tool by the executive, and its refusal is known as a veto. In presidential systems, the legislature often has the power to override the veto of the executive by means of a supermajority.

In constitutional monarchies, certain matters may be covered by a so-called royal prerogative. In the United Kingdom, for example, these include payments to the royal family, succession to the throne, and the monarch's exercise of prerogative powers. The legislature may have significantly less power to introduce bills on such issues and may require the approval of the monarch or government of the day.