In the United States there are three branches of government which are equal and separate. The federal legislative power to create laws lies with Congress. Congress is made up of two equal chambers, The House of Representatives and the US Senate. More than 5000 bills are introduced in Congress each year, but only about 150 of them actually become law. A bill can start with a simple idea from an individual or a group of people who have a special interest. This person or group must then contact an elected official in the House or Senate to write that idea up as a bill. The executive branch, or members of Congress can also write drafts for bills. However, only members of Congress can actually introduce a bill either in the House of Representatives or in the Senate. The individual that introduces the bill in the House of Representatives or the Senate is called a sponsor of the bill. A second person in the same body can add his or her name to the bill and become a cosponsor. This is done the day after the introduction of the bill. In the House of Representatives bills are placed in a wooden box call “the hopper” attached to the side of the clerk’s desk in the chamber. This word “hopper” is derived from a storage bin that was used to house grain or coal. The use of this hopper serves as a way of sorting …show more content…
It was started in April 2, 1789. It is used to maintain control of the House floor. Its members are heavily in favor of the majority party much more than some of the other standing committees in both the House and Senate. This committee helps provide the terms and conditions of debate and what changes for special rules such as expediting a procedure for a bill. The committee can also rewrite just parts of a bill or the entire bill. As long as the majority of the house is willing to vote for a special rule there is little that the rules committee cannot