Why are Republicans GOP?
You guys don't have a house of representatives do you? I thought your lower house was just a lower house without special name... Do you get to vote on it? How does a bill become a law?!?!?!?
Or is there some other reason why 'reps' was taken?
GOP =
Grand
Old
Party. I don't know why either. (
Oh wait, here it is!)
And yes, our lower house is in fact call the
House of Representatives, although its nickname is "the House", not "the Reps". However, "reps" is more reminiscent of the House or the people elected to it than Republicans.
And yes, we elect everyone in Congress. (Although popular vote of Senators wasn't enacted until
Amendment 17)
Article 1 Section 7 outlines the process in 18th Century legalese. To summarize:
- One house (hereafter house #1) of Congress goes through their various procedures to introduce a bill to the floor for a vote. If it passes by simple majority it goes on to house #2. If it fails that vote, You have failed bill! TRY AGAIN.
- House #2 votes on it as well. If it passes by simple majority it goes to the President. If it fails that vote, You have failed bill! TRY AGAIN.
- If the President signs the bill into law, You have law! STOP HERE. If the President vetoes the bill, it goes back to house #1 (along with whatever the Prez says he objected to). If the President neither signs nor vetoes the bill for ten days (Sundays excepted), see this sublist:
- If Congress is in session after the ten day period, You have law! STOP HERE.
- If Congress is not in session after the ten day period, then this is a pocket veto. For what happens now, see this sublist:
- If "agents" have been set up to receive communication for Congress, then the pocket veto is treated as a normal veto, delivered complete with the written objections to the "agents". The next step in the main list occurs once Congress reconvenes.
- If there are no agents for the President to return the bill to, You have failed bill! TRY AGAIN.
- House #1 mulls it over a bit, taking the President's objections into consideration, and vote again. If the vote passes by 2/3 majority, it goes to house #2, along with Prez's objections. If this vote fails, You have failed bill! TRY AGAIN.
- House #2 mulls it over a bit as well, and takes a vote. If the vote passes by 2/3 majority, You have law! STOP HERE. If the vote fails, You have failed bill! TRY AGAIN.
That's basically it. I hope this colorful guide helps you. (Note: The reason why I say House #1 and House #2 is because who starts the process depends on what type of bill it is; the House is supposed to start budgetary bills, for instance. (see the Article 1, Section 7, Clause 1))
How does a bill become a law?!?!?!?
So absolutely obligatory.
I believe every American thinks of this video whenever someone asks how a bill becomes law
.
We have a Senate and a House of Representatives, yes. Bicameral legislature.
Fun fact: To most people in the rest of you world you have a President who personally writes all legislation with a quill on parchment and has a time turner as it is the only way one man could ever produce that much paperwork.
It makes perfect sense when you think about it, why else do all your presidents age about fifteen years a term?
Don't sweat it, plenty of Americans think it's all on the President too
(they know of Congress, of course, but they tend to act like the President has puppetmaster levels of control over it at times).
EDIT: Whoops, completely forgot the pocket veto. It gets a little wonky though, so don't twist yourself into knots over it (hell, nobody's quite sure how a pocket veto ever becomes undeliverable to Congress, but that's a separate legal matter...)