Congress changes the laws in our country. It can make new ones or undo existing ones. It all starts when a member of Congress writes a bill. A bill must be approved before it can become a law. This process takes many steps.

Any member of Congress can introduce a bill anytime Congress is in session by simply placing it in the hopper, a wooden box provided for this purpose. The member who introduces the bill is called the sponsor.

Members who like the bill can add their names as co-sponsors to show it is popular with them. The more co-sponsors it has, the better chance it has of becoming a law.

After the bill is given a number it is printed in the daily record called the Congressional Record. This means that at anytime the public, such as you and your friends, can see what Congress is considering. This is one of the earliest times where citizens can really start to help pass a bill into law, or if they object to it, stop it from becoming law.

Each bill is assigned to one or more committees which are interested in the topic of the bill. Some big committees are so busy, they have subcommittees to start the reviewing process. Committees have professional staff to review and research what this bill would do if it was passed into law. They report their reactions back to Congress. Also, the subcommittee may attach its own changes, known as amendments, to the bill. Sometimes these amendments have nothing to do with the original topic of the bill. In these cases, they may be a way of sweeping through something unpopular without going through all the steps that a bill is supposed to go through. For example, a "Clean Air Bill" could have an amendment about reproductive rights attached to it. When a bill has no amendments, it is called a "clean bill."

Committees get input from departments, agencies, experts, and people who know a lot about the subject. Both sides of the issue are studied in detail and a vote is taken to decide what the committee will recommend. This is known as the markup session. There are many steps to take before a bill can be made into a law and there is time for all sides to be heard. No laws get passed that might hurt other people without there being a chance to do something about it. If there is a lot of interest in a subject, public hearings can be held for people who want to say something. There are lots of times and places for people like us, our parents or our friends to influence whether a good bill or a bad bill gets passed. We just need to know what the steps are so we can be in the right place at the right time.

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