Welcome to the wonderful world of legislation. German politician Otto Von Bismarck allegedly asserted that "If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made." Despite his admonition, How A Bill Becomes A Law will tempt fate by looking behind the scenes at the legislative process in Congress.

Processing solutions to societal problems into legislation is the key function of Congress. There is often little agreement on the problems government should tackle and less agreement on the most desirable proposed solutions.

We typically think of individual members of Congress as the people who identify problems and propose solutions. While it is true that only a member of the House or Senate can formally introduce legislation, the ideas come from many sources (see Exceptions to the Rule).

Whatever the origin, members of Congress and their staffs draw up the formal legislation, attempting to avoid unanticipated consequences and conflicts with existing law. A bill can be introduced in either chamber by a congressman or senator (except for revenue bills which, according to the Constitution, must go to the House first).

Both houses of Congress are too large for efficient, detailed analysis of legislative proposals. Most of this work is done in committees. Committees specialize in particular policy areas. Legislation is referred to the most appropriate committee or committees by the chamber leadership (see House Versus Senate). Committees may kill, amend, or support legislation.

Even committees are too large and diverse to handle complex legislation, so proposals are sent to subcommittees specializing on specific topics. Subcommittees call in experts to testify on proposed legislation. Sub-committees can kill a bill by not recommending it to the full committee, amend it , or pass it on in its initial form.

Members iron out the final details on a piece of legislation in a mark-up session during which the legislation is gone over line by line. Supporters suggest amendments (see Strategies and Power Plays) in an attempt to create a coalition of supporters large enough to get sub-committee, committee, and chamber approval. A bill usually dies without subcommittee approval.

Subcommittees report legislation to full committees, which may pass them on as presented, suggest amendments, or kill them by inaction or a negative report. Committees may carry out a full set of hearings themselves, or rely on the hearings held by their subcommittees.

The differing sizes and traditions of the House and Senate show up clearly in scheduling legislation. The smaller Senate works much more informally, with the Majority Leader consulting with the Minority Leader and proposing a schedule to be approved by unanimous consent.

Debate in the House and Senate is the culmination of months (and sometimes years) of effort by proponents to shepherd the bill through the previous stages and to line up support. The actual debate can be disappointing; most of the members' minds are already made up. Often few members are on the floor to hear the debate, since those taking part are talking more to their constituents and providing their rationale of legislative intent.

HOUSE: Congress expresses its wishes formally through voting. House votes are usually done by voice or by using the electronic voting machines into which each member places an I.D. card and votes "yes,""no," or "present". Electronic votes are displayed on a panel behind the presiding officer.

Both the House and Senate must pass legislation that is identical in every way before it is sent to the president for approval. After each chamber has passed its version, the legislation is sent to a conference committee made up of leaders of the originating committees to work out the differences. At times, each chamber instructs its members as to what to accept or reject.

Once the president receives a bill, he has ten days to decide whether to approve or veto it. Approved bills are signed by the president, often in a public ceremony including the bill's key supporters.

The use of the plural "processes" is intentional. The legislative process is complex and intentionally redundant with multiple players having to make decisions in parallel fashion. It is inherently a set of political processes, in which individuals seek to gain support for policy preferences whose value generally cannot be proven, only asserted. Persistence and hard work by committed politicians are required to steer legislation through the formal stages in the process when possible, and when not, to use alternative routes when available. It is no wonder that it is easier to block legislation than pass it.