PASSING LEGISLATION: THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD

1. PASSING LEGISLATION: THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD SPEAKER OF HOUSE RECEIVES BILL PRESIDENT OF SENATE RECEIVES BILL COMMITTEE*† COMMITTEE*† SUBCOMMITTEE*† SUBCOMMITTEE*† RULES COMMITTEE*† MAJORITY LEADER*† HOUSE FLOOR*† HOUSE BILL SENATE BILL SENATE FLOOR*†

2. PASSING LEGISLATION: THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD HOUSE AMENDS SENATE BILL*† SENATE AMENDS HOUSE BILL† HOUSE FLOOR*† SENATE FLOOR*† CONFERENCE COMMITTEE*† CONFERENCE REPORT*† ADOPTION BY BOTH HOUSES† HOUSE APPROVES SENATE AMENDMENT† SENATE APPROVES HOUSE AMENDMENT†

3. PASSING LEGISLATION: THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD WHITE HOUSE*† VETO APPROVE HOUSE AND SENATE FLOOR† VETO OVERRIDE LAW

4. DEVIATIONS FROM THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD: AN EXAMPLE THE 2010 AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA) In the House, 3 committees crafted the bill. 5 committees worked on the Senate version. After a deadlock between two committees, Majority Leader Harry Reid pushed through a merged version of the bill, adding things that weren’t in the committee version. Speaker Nancy Pelosi assumed a central role in shaping the final bill, adding things that weren’t in the committee version. President Obama was intensely involved. The White House held daily meetings with the committees.

5. DEVIATIONS FROM THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD: AN EXAMPLE Floor Action Floor Action No conference committee. Instead, committee leaders, White House staff, and party leadership negotiated the details of the bill. The Senate version of the bill was passed by the House, but then the House also passed a separate reconciliation bill that included many amendments to the Senate version. That reconciliation bill was then passed by the Senate. President Obama signed the ACA into law.

6. PASSING LEGISLATION: POP QUIZ! A conference committee’s job is to a. draft an original bill. b. determine whether a bill should be considered by Congress. c. determine whether a bill is constitutional. d. reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of a bill. e. convince the president to sign the bill.

7. PASSING LEGISLATION: POP QUIZ! A conference committee’s job is to a. draft an original bill. b. determine whether a bill should be considered by Congress. c. determine whether a bill is constitutional. d. reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of a bill. e. convince the president to sign the bill.

8. PASSING LEGISLATION: POP QUIZ! 2. One way the passage of the ACA differed from the conventional process is that a. committees were not involved. b. President Obama and party leaders were directly involved in shaping the bill. c. no floor action took place. d. only one house voted on the bill. e. the president signed it into law.

9. PASSING LEGISLATION: POP QUIZ! 2. One way the passage of the ACA differed from the conventional process is that a. committees were not involved. b. President Obama and party leaders were directly involved in shaping the bill. c. no floor action took place. d. only one house voted on the bill. e. the president signed it into law.