One of the areas of our advocacy work is State legislation. Many times, our members will connect with me about a bill that has an impact on the business community. For this week I thought what better way to start the week than understanding how a bill becomes a law in the State of Indiana. While I could go into more detail I decided to give you basic concept. Below is the process, enjoy!
- Introduction: A bill can be introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. A legislator drafts the bill and presents it to the clerk of the chamber in which they serve.
- Committee Consideration: Once a bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee for review. The committee considers the bill and may make changes to it, or it may decide not to advance it any further.
- Committee Report: If the committee decides to advance the bill, it issues a committee report, which outlines any changes made to the bill and the committee’s recommendations for further action.
- Floor Consideration: The bill is then debated and voted on by the members of the chamber in which it was introduced. If it passes, it is sent to the other chamber for consideration.
- Conference Committee: If the two chambers pass different versions of the bill, a conference committee is appointed to reconcile the differences.
- Final Approval: Once the conference committee agrees on a final version of the bill, it is sent back to both chambers for final approval. If it is approved, it is sent to the governor for signature.
- Governor’s Signature: The governor can either sign the bill into law or veto it. If the governor vetoes the bill, it can still become law if two-thirds of both chambers vote to override the veto.
- Effective Date: If the bill becomes law, it typically takes effect on July 1 of the year it was passed, unless the bill specifies a different effective date.
Overall, the process of a bill becoming a law in Indiana is similar to the process in other states, but there may be some variations depending on the specific state’s legislative procedures.