Anyone can write a bill, but in most states, only a member of the legislature can file and sponsor a bill. Sometimes bills are drafted by interest groups or constituents who present them to or work with a lawmaker sympathetic to their cause.

A legislator may also develop language for a bill by listening to his or her constituency and then work to solve the issue. Bill concepts also grow out of the recommendations of an interim study committees conducted when the legislature is not in session. These committees research ideas and problems to determine state laws that need to be changed or created to best solve that problem.

A legislator may introduce a bill in the body of which he or she is a member by filing it with the appropriate clerk. A bill is given a caption/title and number. The bill number allows the legislator and the public to track the progress of the bill. 

After a bill has been introduced, a short description of the bill is read aloud while the chamber is in session so that all members are aware of the bill and its subject. This is called the first reading, and it is the point in the process where the presiding officer assigns the bill to a committee(s). This committee assignment is announced on the chamber floor during the first reading of the bill. In some states, bills are assigned to several committees.

Committees are of central importance to the state legislative process. In general, legislation is more thoroughly debated, and more likely to be significantly amended in committee than on the floor. Committee hearings are also the point in the legislative process where citizens are most likely to have the opportunity to voice public support for or concerns about legislation. 

The chair of each committee decides when the committee will meet and the bills that will be considered. The committee process allows an idea to be thoroughly discussed and debated by the legislators, the public and those who will be directly impacted by the bill.  

Committees have several options when considering a bill. They can recommend the bill for passage, recommend that the bill not be passed, amend the bill, table the bill for discussion at a later date or, in some states, recommend the bill be sent to an interim study committee. If a bill is not recommended for passage, it rarely moves to a full vote before the entire chamber (though leadership may pull the bill from committee and bring the bill up for a floor vote), and the bill is usually dead for the rest of session.

Committee chairs and ranking members play a key role in the legislative process and should be targeted in advocacy efforts, even when they do not represent your district. Information regarding standing committees and subcommittee membership can be found on your legislature’s website. Once the bill has passed each of the committees to which it was referred, it is available to be voted on by the entire body of members. 

Presiding officers decide when a bill will be brought to the floor for debate or a vote. When a bill appears “on the calendar,” it is open to debate and amendment by the entire body (House or Senate). Following debate, the bill is called for a vote, and may be voted down or passed with or without an amendment(s) by a majority vote of the legislative body.

Following passage by the chamber of origin, a bill will be sent to the second chamber where the steps from introduction to floor action will be repeated. (This occurs in all states, except Nebraska where the legislature is unicameral.)

The second chamber may decide not to hear the bill in committee, vote the bill down, amend the bill or pass the bill. If the second chamber passes the bill without amendments, it is returned to the chamber of origin for engrossment and is then sent to the governor. If the second chamber amends the bill before passage, the bill will be returned to the chamber of origin for review of the amendments.

The chamber of origin may vote to concur with the amendments if a majority of members vote in favor of the bill as amended, or it can refuse to concur if a majority of members vote against concurrence. If the chamber of origin refuses to concur, the bill is either dead or the chamber of origin may request a conference committee.

Conference committees are formed when the two chambers disagree on the final version of a bill. These committees are comprised of members of each chamber who work to create compromise legislation that is likely to pass both chambers.

If conferees are able to reach an agreement, a new version of the legislation called a conference committee report is prepared. The report must be approved by the conferees and, once approved, is presented to each chamber for a vote. The report must be approved or rejected without amendment. If approved by both chambers, the bill is sent to the governor.

Upon receiving a bill, each governor has a certain number of days to sign, veto or, depending on the state, allow the bill to become law without a signature.

Veto laws vary by state, but if a governor vetoes a bill and the legislature is still in session, the bill is returned to the chamber from which it originated with an explanation of the governor’s objections. A legislature may override a governor’s veto if a certain vote threshold is met by each chamber.

The number of votes required to override a veto varies by state and type of bill, but most frequently, states require a two-thirds majority vote to override a veto.