What Happens To The President's Desk

What Happens to a Bill on the President’s Desk
Laws are made in order to govern behavior in society. There are many types of laws including civil law, administrative law, criminal law, constitutional law, and international law. In order for these laws to be put into action, there is a process that must be followed. Laws start out as a bill. Anyone can draft a bill such as parties, interests groups, or presidents; and it is up to Congress to act favorably in order for the bill to become a law. According to Article I, Section 7 in the U.S. Constitution, “Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States” (Turner 580). In guiding a bill
At this point both the House and the Senate have spent countless hours discussing and reviewing the bill. When they have both decided on an identical form for the bill, it is finally sent to the president to review. However, the Senate and House rarely pass bills in identical form. If there are minor changes made by one house, the other will usually agree to the changes and send the bill to the president for signature. If there are major differences, a House-Senate Conference committee reconciles them and then the bill makes it to the president’s desk. He may sign it at any time upon its arrival within a 10 day period (Constitutional Topic: How a Bill Becomes a Law 2). If the he approves of the bill in its entirety, he will then sign it thus declaring it official law. An example of this process would be President Clinton’s signing of the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993. This was President Clinton’s first legislation to be signed into law during his administration. The Family and Medical Leave Act enabled millions of workers to take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave to care for a new baby or ailing family member without jeopardizing their job (The Clinton Presidency: Eight Years of Peace, Progress and Prosperity 1). According to the article History of the FMLA, Congress passed the legislation in 1991 and 1992 however, it was vetoed both times by President George H.W. Bush. Clinton claimed, “It was then and remains today the embodiment of my governing philosophy of empowerment through opportunity and responsibility.” (Bill Clinton: Why I signed the Family and Medical Leave Act