President Joe Biden signed a bill establishing Juneteenth, the date marking the end of slavery in the United States, as a Federal Holiday on Thursday, June 17, 2021. Many people seemed surprised, thinking that the Bill would never get past Republican Mitch O’Connell and some of the other Republicans who seem to fight against anything positive that can uplift or celebrate African Americans or other people of color. There are others who have the idea that Juneteenth just became a national holiday, magically, almost overnight. Not so.
Some steps must be taken and work that must be done, lobbying that has to happen, etc., before any Bill can become a Federal Law. Some Federal Bills make it through. Others do not.
Here’s how the process works to get Laws made at the Federal level. Basically, there are five steps to having a Bill become Law.
Step number one: Every law starts with an idea and that idea can even come from you. If you have an idea that you think could be a very good federal law one day, start by writing your idea out and then contact your Congressperson and ask for a meeting with them.
Step number two: The Bill has to be introduced. A Bill can start in either House of Congress when it is introduced by its primary Sponsor, a Senator or a Representative. In the House of Representatives, Bills are placed in a wooden box called The Hopper.
Step Number three: The Bill goes to Committee. Representatives or Senators meet in a small group to research, discuss and make changes to the Bill. Then they vote to accept or reject the Bill and its changes before sending it to the House or Senate floor for debate or to a subcommittee for further research. Hezre the Bill is assigned a legislative number before the Speaker of the House sends it to a Committee.
Step number four: Congress then debates on the Bill. Members of the House or Senate can now debate the Bill and propose more changes or Amendments before voting. If the majority votes for and passes the Bill, it moves to the other House to go through a similar process of Committees, debate and voting. Both Houses have to agree on the same version of the final Bill before it goes to the President.
Sidebar: Did you know that the House uses an electronic voting system, while the Senate typically votes by voice, saying Yay or Nay?
Step number five: Presidential action. When the Bill reaches the President, he or she can approve and pass the Bill into Law. Once the President approves and signs the Bill, it becomes Law. Or the President could Veto the Bill. The President can reject the Bill and return it to Congress, with the reasons for the Veto. Congress can override the Veto with a 2/3 vote of those present in both the House and the Senate, and the Bill could still become Law. Or the President can decide to do nothing. If Congress is in session after ten days of no answer from the President the Bill then automatically becomes Law. Then there’s also a component called a “Pocket Veto.” If Congress adjourns within the ten-day period after giving the President the Bill, the President can choose not to sign it, and the Bill will not become Law. This information comes from USA.gov/howlawsaremade. Now you know.
In case you’re wondering who was behind the effort to make Juneteenth a National Holiday, it is 94-year-old Opal Lee, who’s been working to get this day, June 19th as a National Holiday for at least the last 40 years.
Before the passage of the Juneteenth legislation by the House and Senate on June 17th, there have only been four new holidays added to the national calendar in the past 100 years.
