[ti:How Laws Are Made in the US] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.01]The United States Congress is responsible [00:03.92]for making and approving federal laws [00:07.33]– rules that everyone in the country must follow. [00:11.72]But exactly how do those laws get made? [00:15.78]The process is not easy, and it takes a long time. [00:21.33]A law begins when someone proposes an idea. [00:26.12]The idea can come from anyone, [00:28.83]but it has to get to a U.S. lawmaker [00:32.13]who wants it to become legislation. [00:36.06]In time, the idea is further developed [00:39.52]into a written proposal, called a bill. [00:43.53]Then, a member of Congress – that is, [00:47.67]a senator or a member of the House of Representatives [00:51.47]– officially proposes the bill. [00:54.35]In other words, a lawmaker sponsors it. [00:58.67]Lawmakers usually sponsor bills that are important to them [01:03.92] or the people who live in the area they represent. [01:07.84]After the bill is introduced, [01:10.28]it is sent to a small group of lawmakers, called a "committee." [01:15.25]Committees are responsible [01:17.20]for a specific public policy or area of government. [01:22.12]For example, both the Senate and the House have committees [01:26.63] that deal with agriculture, education, and international relations. [01:32.43]Sometimes committee members seek more information [01:36.50] about the proposal by holding hearings. [01:40.17]Sometimes the committee changes the bill. [01:43.42]Sometimes it decides not to take any action. [01:47.60]In that case, we say lawmakers "table" the bill, [01:52.80]or let it "die in committee." [01:56.12]But now and then, [01:58.60]they offer the bill to lawmakers not on the committee. [02:02.64]Those lawmakers debate the bill further. [02:05.64]They might change the bill again. [02:08.10]Finally, the full House or Senate votes on the bill. [02:13.09]If it does not earn the majority of votes, [02:16.64]the bill does not advance. [02:19.31]But if it does get approved, [02:21.75]the bill goes to the other chamber of Congress. [02:25.24]So, bills approved by the House go to the Senate; [02:30.16]bills approved by the Senate go to the House. [02:34.45]Lawmakers in the second chamber repeat the process. [02:38.52]If the second chamber also approves the bill, [02:42.07]lawmakers from both the House and the Senate [02:45.95]may have to discuss it again to settle any differences. [02:51.24]Finally, the agreed-upon bill is sent to the president. [02:56.16]The president has a few choices about what to do. [03:00.67]If the president signs it, the bill becomes a law. [03:05.27]If the president does nothing and Congress [03:09.31]is officially meeting, the bill becomes a law. [03:13.00]But if the president does nothing [03:16.25]and Congress is not in session, the bill does not pass. [03:21.20]Or the president can officially reject – or veto – the bill. [03:28.00]If that happens, the bill is not stopped. [03:31.97] Instead, it is returned to both the Senate and the House. [03:37.01]If two-thirds of the senators and two-thirds [03:41.10]of the House members approve the bill once again, [03:44.81]they override the veto. [03:48.11] That is, even with the president objecting, [03:51.24]they turn the bill into a law. [03:54.31]I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. [03:56.57]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM