How does a law get made? Every new law starts out as an idea. A bill is a plan for a new law, or a change to an old law. Let's follow a bill through the national government, one step at a time. Think of it like a trip with many stops. Each stop is a step on the way to a law.

Laws for the whole nation are made by Congress. Congress is the part of the national government that makes laws. It has two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Here are the numbers. As of November 2026, the House of Representatives has 435 seats. As of November 2026, the Senate has 100 members. Each state has two senators. Remember the two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Who starts a bill? Here is one answer. People can ask their lawmakers to start a new law. Here is another. A bill can be started by a member of the House or Senate. Congress has the power to collect taxes. There is one special rule about taxes. Only the House of Representatives can start a bill about taxes or raising money. The Senate can still make changes to it.

What happens once a bill has begun? After a bill is introduced, it goes to a committee of lawmakers who study it and can change it. Then lawmakers vote on a bill. When the House passes a bill, it goes to the Senate, which studies and votes on it too. Remember that a committee can study a bill and change it.

Both parts of Congress have a say. A bill has to pass both the House and the Senate before the president can sign it. Sometimes the Senate changes a bill. If the Senate changes a bill, the House has to look at the changes. The two sides must work out their differences. When the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill, a conference committee with members from both can work out the differences.

Now the bill goes to the president. The president can sign a bill into law. The president can also say no to a bill. That is called a veto. The Constitution gives the president 10 days, not counting Sundays, to act on a bill. The president can sign it into law. The president can say no with a veto.

A veto is not always the end of a bill. If the president vetoes a bill, Congress can sometimes vote to override the veto and make it a law. To override a veto, Congress needs a two-thirds vote in each house. So a veto does not always stop a bill for good. Congress can sometimes vote to override it.

Laws do not stop at Congress. The U.S. government has three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The president leads the executive branch, which enforces the laws. The Supreme Court is part of the judicial branch. The system of checks and balances lets each branch respond to the actions of the others. The Supreme Court can overturn laws that go against the Constitution.

Now let's go back to 1787. In 1787, leaders called the Framers met in Philadelphia and wrote the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution is also where we find the 10 days for the president. The Constitution gives the president 10 days, not counting Sundays, to act on a bill.

Laws are not only made in Washington. Cities and towns can make laws too. Local laws are often called ordinances, and a city council or county commission can pass them. A city council or county commission can pass them.

Words to know

• bill: law plan
• veto: saying no
• committee: small study group
• override: cancel a veto
• ordinances: local laws