# Quick! How does a bill become a law? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 25, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613 "2003-08-25T22:16:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/1 "2003-08-25T22:16:40Z")
Quick! I need to know how a bill becomes a law, and I need to know in less than three minutes. Is there some wondrous, magical way in which someone can fill me in? ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/2 "2003-08-25T22:22:54Z")
You’re playing Quiz Bowl, aren’t you? And I’d say, because it gets a certain amount of signatures. But that’s a guess. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/3 "2003-08-25T22:23:38Z")
[Here ya go.](http://www.apocalypse.org/pub/u/gilly/Schoolhouse_Rock/HTML/history/bill.html) I couldn’t find the actual song, but I bet it’s a copyright issue. Sing it to yourself if you need to. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/4 "2003-08-25T22:24:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \*\*You’re playing Quiz Bowl, aren’t you? \*\* Actually, no. But **BraheSilver** caught on. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/5 "2003-08-25T22:34:57Z")
I’m an amendment-to-be, yes an amendment-to-be, And I’m hoping that they’ll ratify me. ``` There's a lot of flag-burners, Who have got too much freedom, I want to make it legal For policemen to beat'em. 'Cause there's limits to our liberties, At least I hope and pray that there are, 'Cause those liberal freaks go too far. ``` … Then I’ll crush all opposition to me, And I’ll make Ted Kennedy pay. If he fights back, I’ll say that he’s gay. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/6 "2003-08-25T22:46:52Z")
Door’s open, boys! ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/7 "2003-08-26T00:40:28Z")
Ya know… if you’da studied this when you had time, instead of waithing til the last minute, you wouldn’t need help! OK, here goes. A Daddy bill and a Mommy bill get together. And they love each other. After a while they have a cute little baby bill. When the baby bill grows up, then it becomes a law. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/8 "2003-08-26T01:04:42Z")
Practice practice practice. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/9 "2003-08-26T02:11:08Z")
I went to school with a William Przybilski whose widowed mom married a George Law, who then adopted William. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/10 "2003-08-26T02:15:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JThunder \* > \*\*Actually, no. > > But **BraheSilver** caught on. \*\* It’s one of those campy 70’s throwbacks that appeals to Generation-X’ers. We need another Vietnam to thin out their ranks a little. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/11 "2003-08-26T02:39:09Z")
I didn’t learn this from Schoolhouse Rock. I had a relative who sold encyclopedias, so I go all the freebie ample pages. There was a set of about four bound pages in the World Bok ncyclopedia that told in gory detail exactly how a Bill Bcomes Law. There are a lot of side routes, and it was all laid out in the form of a path or red and blue paper. It looked kinda like Candyland, or Chutes and Ladders. (“Uh Oh, your bill is bottled up in comittee. Lose one turn!”) A lot duller than Schoolhouse Rock. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/12 "2003-08-26T03:27:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by if6was9 \* > \*\* > OK, here goes. A Daddy bill and a Mommy bill get together. And they love each other. After a while they have a cute little baby bill. When the baby bill grows up, then it becomes a law. \*\* Unless it dies in committee, right? ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/13 "2003-08-26T03:29:39Z")
As a practical matter, here’s an legitimate, if somewhat cynical answer. Vocal interest groups contact their legislators. If the legislators they work with are sufficiently powerful within the legislative body and if the legislator can be prevailed upon to remain interested in the bill and if an interest group that is more powerful and/or better connected does not oppose it a bill may become law. ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/14 "2003-08-26T04:05:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > \*\*I went to school with a William Przybilski whose widowed mom married a George Law, who then adopted William. \*\* If Gore Vidal and Jackie Mason had a love child, he’d love that joke. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-how-does-a-bill-become-a-law/197613/15 "2003-08-27T04:35:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Frankd6 \* > \*\*As a practical matter, here’s an legitimate, if somewhat cynical answer. > > Vocal interest groups contact their legislators. If the legislators they work with are sufficiently powerful within the legislative body and if the legislator can be prevailed upon to remain interested in the bill and if an interest group that is more powerful and/or better connected does not oppose it a bill may become law. \*\* Okay, fine. Now set it to music.