Government: the three branches and how a bill becomes law (grade 12) · lesson

How a bill becomes law

💡 A bill must pass both houses in the same form and survive the president, and the vote thresholds decide who can block it.

A member of Congress introduces a bill. A committee studies and votes on it. The full chamber debates and passes it. The other chamber must pass the same version. Then the president signs it into law.

If the president vetoes the bill, Congress can override with two-thirds of both houses. With all 100 senators voting, two-thirds of 100 is about 66.7, so 67 votes are needed. A simple majority means more than half. The House has 435 members, so with everyone voting, a majority is 218.

In the Senate, ending debate on most bills takes 60 votes. Without 60, a filibuster can stall a bill. So 41 senators can block a bill that 59 support.

🧠 Let's work it out

Turn rules into numbers.
To check an override, divide the 'yes' votes by the chamber size and compare with two-thirds (about 66.7%).
300 of 435 is about 69%, so it clears.
Always round up, since you can't have part of a vote.

What do you think comes next?

veto override: Congress passing a bill despite a veto, by two-thirds of both houses
filibuster: using long debate to block a vote
majority: more than half

🔗 Khan Academy: The legislative branch · Khan Academy (free) ↗

The two houses of Congress

💡 The House and Senate were built differently on purpose, with different terms, sizes, and powers.

House seats are divided among the states by population after each census, every ten years. Fast-growing states can gain seats and slow-growing states can lose them. The House has been fixed at 435 members since 1929. Every state has two senators, no matter its size.

House members serve two-year terms, so they face voters often and feel shifts in public opinion quickly. Senators serve six-year terms, with about one-third up for election every two years. The framers wanted the Senate to slow sudden swings.

Some powers belong to one house. Revenue bills start in the House, and the House brings impeachment charges. The Senate approves treaties by a two-thirds vote, confirms federal judges and cabinet members, and holds impeachment trials.

🧠 How to think about it

To predict how a member will act, ask when they next face voters. Someone up for election in months feels more pressure than someone with five years left.

census: a count of the population every ten years
impeach: to formally charge an official with wrongdoing
confirm: to approve an appointment

The president, the courts, and checks between them

💡 The president and courts each hold real power, and the Constitution splits key powers so no single branch can act alone.

The president is commander in chief of the armed forces, but Congress has the power to declare war and to pay for the military. The framers split war powers so no single branch could take the nation to war alone.

Congress checks the president by overriding vetoes and by impeachment: the House impeaches and the Senate holds the trial. The president nominates judges and justices, and the Senate confirms them.

In Marbury v. Madison (1803), the Supreme Court claimed the power of judicial review: courts can strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution. Courts interpret laws; they don't write them.

🧠 Let's work it out

For any power, ask who starts it and who can stop it.
The president nominates, the Senate confirms.
Congress declares war, the president commands.

What do you think comes next?

commander in chief: the president's role as head of the armed forces
judicial review: the courts' power to strike down unconstitutional laws

🔗 National Archives: Marbury v. Madison (1803) · National Archives (free) ↗