HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

Before the opening of the 15 Congress, the House of Representatives held a seminar on the various aspects of legislation for neophyte lawmakers. More than a hundred first-term legislators attended the seminar and had a dose of the workings of Congress. A representatives term is three years, and during this three-year period, a lawmaker can author or co-author as many legislative measures as he/she can. At times, the public is caught unaware that a law has already passed. Most of ordinary Filipinos are not familiar with the legislative process, leaving them with the question: how does a bill become a law?
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The legislative process The official website of the House of Representatives provides information on thelegislative process, including the workings and activities of the Lower House. Based on a flow chart, the legislative process is described as follows:

1. Bill preparation. The House Member (or the Congressman/woman) prepares and drafts the bill, or the Bill Drafting Division of the Reference and Research Bureau does the same upon the Members request. Bills and proposed resolutions are required to be signed by their author or authors.

2. First reading. The bill is filed with the Bills and Index Service and the same is numbered and reproduced. Three days after the filing, the same is included in the Order of Business for First Reading. On First Reading, the Secretary General reads the title and number of the bill. The Speaker then refers the bill to the appropriate committee/s.

3. Committee consideration or action. The Committee to which the bill was referred is tasked to evaluate and determine the necessity of conducting public hearings. If public hearings are necessary, it schedules the time thereof, issues public notices, and invites resource persons for the proposed legislation. If there is no need to conduct public hearings, the bill is scheduled for Committee discussions. Based on the results of the public hearings or Committee Discussions, the Committee may introduce amendments, consolidate bills on the same subject matter, or propose a substitute bill. It then prepares a corresponding Committee Report. The Committee approves the Committee Report before its formal transmission to the Plenary Affairs Bureau.

4. Second reading. The Committee Report is registered and numbered by the Bills and Index Service. It will be included in the Order of Business and referred to the Committee on Rules, which then schedules the bill for consideration on Second Reading. Committee Reports are prepared by the secretary of the Committee and duly approved by the Chairman, Vice-Chairmen and members of the Committee. On Second Reading, the Secretary General reads the number, title and text of the bill in the plenary session. The period of sponsorship and debate and/or amendments may take place. Voting may be through viva voce (verbal aye and no vote), counted by tellers, division of the House, or nominal voting.

5. Third reading. The amendments, if any are engrossed or collated and printed copies are reproduced. The engrossed bill is included in the Calendar of Bills for Third Reading. Copies of the same are distributed to the House Members three days before its Third Reading. On Third Reading, the Secretary General reads only the number and

title of the bill. A roll call or nominal voting is called. A Member is given three minutes to explain his/her vote if he/she desires. Amendment of the bill is not allowed at this stage.The bill is approved if majority of the House Members show an affirmative vote. If the bill is disapproved, it is transmitted to the archives.

6. Transmittal to the Senate. The approved bill is sent to the Senate for its concurrence. 7. Senates action. The approved bill of the House undergoes the same legislative process in the Senate. 8. Conference committee. A conference committee is formed and is composed of both Members from each House (Congress and Senate) to settle, reconcile, and thresh out differences on any provisions of the bill. A Conference Committee report is prepared and signed by all conferees and the Chairman. It is then submitted for consideration or approval of both Houses. Any amendments are not allowed.

9. Transmittal to the President. Copies of the bill signed by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and certified by both of the Secretary of the Senate and the Secretary General of the House, are transmitted to the President.

10. Presidential action. If the bill is approved by the President, it is assigned an RA (Republic Act) number and transmitted to the House where it originated. In case of a veto, the bill is transmitted to the House where it originated, together with a message citing the reason for the veto.

11. Action on the approved bill.The bill is reproduced and copies are sent to the Official Gazette Office for publication and distribution to implementing agencies. It is then included in the annual compilations of Acts and Resolutions.

12. Action on vetoed bill. The message is included in the Order of Business. If the Congress decides to override the veto, both Houses shall proceed separately to consider the bill or the vetoed item of the bill. If two-thirds of the Members voted in favor of the bill, or its vetoed items, such bill or items shall become a law. A joint resolution which has the force and effect of a law goes also through the same process. Joint Resolution No. 3 calling for Charter Change through a Constitutional Convention is now filed in the 15 Congress. Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also filed a similar resolution calling for amendments in the Constitution. Copies of legislative measures can be accessed, viewed and downloaded at the Congress' official website.
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House of the People The 15 Congress convened and opened last Monday, July 26. As of this writing, almost 700 House Bills were filed by various legislators. The first bill filed in the Lower House last July 1 is a bill seeking tax exemptions for manufacturers and importers of hybrid cars in the Philippines, by Ilocos Sur Representative Ronald Singson(Singson is now detained in Hong Kong for drug trafficking Ed). In the Senate, the first bills were filed by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. The senate president proposed legislative measures seeking to penalize unfair trade and anti-competitive practices, reduction of electricity rates, and uniform franchise tax on distribution of utilities.
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Another lawmaker who personally filed his bills was Bayan Muna Representative Teodoro Casino who re-filed a tougher version of the Freedom of Information Act that was left hanging by the previous Congress. Bills seeking genuine land reform and P125 daily wage hike were also filed-- these measures were among the unfinished business of the 14 Congress. Currently, the Lower House has 261 representatives from congressional districts and party-lists. Recently-installed House Speaker Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte Jr said he will work hard to make the House of Representatives live up to its name as "House of the people."
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