8 Steps of Legislative Lawmaking for the DMCA

Outline of the 8 Legislative Lawmaking Steps:

- 1- member of congress sponsors a bill (could get it from White House, lobbyists or constituents); Link
- 2- sent to a committee; Link
- 2a – if House, Rules Committee decides how long bill can be debated and if it can be amended, and can bring immediate floor vote; Link
- 3- committee debates and approves, rejects actively or passively, or sends to the floor without recommendation; Link
- 3a – committee can add ‘killer amendments’ to bill to make it impassable; Link
- 4- open debate and vote; Link
-Filibuster possible in Senate, cloture needed;
- 4a – pet projects, aka pork barrel projects can be added in committee or on the floor; Link
- 5 – same process in other chamber; Link
- 6- conference committee resolves differences in House and Senate versions, returns new version for a vote; Link
- 7 – President signs, vetoes or pocket vetoes; Link
- 8 – if veto, Congress can start over OR override with 2/3 vote in each chamber.