Who Makes The Laws In The United States?
We live by the rule of law in this country. Okay, so who makes the laws in the United States? The answer is both simple and complex as well as more than a bit troubling.
The United States uses a theory called federalism for its government. Federalism simply refers to the fact that there is a federal government that rules over the nation, but individual state governments that pass laws for their territories. Which set of laws apply in certain circumstances is an issue that depends on prevailing moods and so on. Still, both the federal and state governments pass laws in the same basic way.
Let's use the federal government as our example. The government has three branches – executive, legislative and judicial. Of these three, the legislative branch is the group responsible for making law in the United States. This group is better known as Congress and consists of two branches – the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state gets two Senators regardless of the size of the state. The membership of the House is determined by the population of each state.
So, how are laws made? The law is introduced in either the House or Senate by one or more of the elected officials. It then goes to a committee set up on the subject. If the committee approves it, it goes to a further committee, the other Congressional branch or a Congressional vote depending on how it is processed. If it makes a vote and Congress approves the bill, it is not a law yet. The President must approve it or veto it. If he approves it, then the bill become a law. Citizens may then contest it in court and the Supreme Court will ultimately decide if the law is constitutional.
The system seems very straightforward, but there are criticisms of it. The problem is lobbying. There have been more than a few examples of lobbyist actually writing bills and having elected officials introduce them. This would seem to suggest that the wealthy, particularly businesses, are favored over the general public when it comes to law making. It is a very valid concern and one that raises a host of issues.
Who makes the laws in the United States? Congress makes them, the President signs them into law and the Supreme Court decides if they are constitutional.