Posted by Chester Morton / Monday, 6 March 2017 / No comments
The stages through which a bill passes to become a law
Introduction
For a bill to become a law, there are various stages that it
go through. This includes the First Reading, the second Reading, Committee
Stage, the Report Stage, the Third Reading and finally the giving of Assent.
First Reading
At this stage, the bill is introduced to the law-making body,
usually the parliament, for the first time by the Minister responsible for the
ministry introducing the bill. This is normally in a draft form so it called a
draft bill. This is received by the Clerk of Parliament who in turn informs the
house. The Clerk reads the title of the bill and gives copies to the Members of
Parliament for their personal perusal.
Second Reading
This is the stage where the Minister explains the purpose of
the bill to the Members of Parliament. It is also at this stage that the bill
is opened for members to debate whether the bill is necessary for consideration
or not. A vote is then used to determine whether the bill should move to the
next stage or not. If majority votes in favour, then the process is moved to
the next stage, which is the Committee Stage.
Committee Stage
At this stage, the bill is sent to a committee of the house
for scrutiny. The Committee of the house is duty bound to comb through the bill
and propose any amendments they think is necessary. Where necessary, the bill
is taken to other committees to make their take on it. Where amendments are required,
such amendments are made to the bill.
Reporting Stage
The committee of the house is mandated to report back to the
house whatever they noticed in the bill. Every committee that was privy to the
bill reports back to Parliament their findings and the amendments they are
proposing for consideration.
Third Reading
This is the stage where thoroughness is required. The bill is
scrutinized more carefully to see if there are any other anomalies that needed
to be sorted out before the bill is finally passed. In countries with bicameral
legislatures, the bill, now passed, is sent to the second chamber of the
parliament for consideration. Otherwise, it is sent to the Head of government
for assent.
The Assent
This is the very final stage. The bill is taken to the President
to append his signature. The bill cannot become a law if the President fails or
refuses to append his signature to it. After the President’s signature, then
the bill becomes law and can be enforced.
SAMPLE QUESTION
1. Trace the stages though a bill passes before it become a
law. (12 marks)
