Introducing Mr. Bill

A member of Congress introduces Mr. Bill for the first time. Then a committee is made and Mr. Bill is assigned to that committee. The majority party assigns committee chairs based on seniority rule. The members that have been on the committee the longest have a higher chance to get the seat. Once Mr. Bill is assigned to a committee, the committee decides what to do with him.

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Mr. Bill's Phases Through the Subcommittee

First Mr. Bill goes through hearings. The hearings are used to listen to testimonies and gather information about Mr. Bill. Next, Mr. Bill goes through a markup session. This is when members amend Mr. Bill. Finally, Mr. Bill is voted on and then reported back to the full standing committee.

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In the Standing Committee

Once Mr. Bill is reported back to the standing committee, he can be accepted or amended. If the standing committee chooses to amend Mr. Bill, they can hold more hearings and markup sessions. After they approve Mr. Bill, they vote on whether they want to report him to the full House of Representatives/Senate or not.

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House and Senate Debate

After Mr. Bill is reported, that house of congress debates on the bill and the majority party controls the debate. In the House of Representatives, the debate time for Mr. Bill is limited to one hour. However, Senators have the ability to filibuster. A filibuster is a tactic used to delay passage of Mr. Bill. Filibusters can go on for many hours, but they can be ended by using the cloture rule. The cloture rule can end debate with a three-fifths vote of all senators. s

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Amending Mr. Bill

When debating in the House, amendments attached to Mr. Bill have to be related to him but in the Senate the amendments don't have to be. The unrelated amendments are known as riders. Riders are used to either kill Mr. Bill are to get more votes for him. Must-pass legislation that the president is unlikely to veto results in a Christmas tree bill. This is a bill with so many riders attached to it that it seems to offer something for everyone.

Hello, I am Bill and this is my Christmas tree.