The way bills are introduced in Washington.
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A bill is a written proposal for a law.Anyone can suggest an idea to a legislator. But only legislators can introduce a bill to the state legislature.
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Once the bill is drafted, the legislator sponsoring it presents it to either the senate or house.
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The committee reviews the bill.If it is approved, the bill moves on to a hearing. Any interested person can testify for or against the bill.After the hearing, amendments can also be made into the bill "die" by not taking further action.
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If the committee sends the bill on, it goes to the rules committee and gets on the calendar to be discussed on a certain day. Legislators debate, or discuss, the bill and then vote.
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If legislators pass the bill, it is reviewed once more by the rules committee.Once it leaves the rules committee, it goes for a final vote before either the house or senate.
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When the bill is passed by one of the houses, it moves on to the other house. The bill must then go though the same process.
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once the bill is accepted by both the houses, it is signed by their leaders and is sent to the governor. At this point, citizens can contact the governor to voice their opinion on the bill.
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The governor reviews the bill.If the governor does nothing, the bill becomes a law in five to 10 days.
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The governor can also veto, or reject, the entire bill or parts of it. However, the legislator can override,or cancel, the governors veto. To do this, a two-thirds majority of both houses is needed.This is one of the checks and balances of power. Neither the legislative nor executive branch can make a law alone.
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