English for Law - Passage of a Bill

PASSAGE OF A BILL

A Bill is a proposal of a new law or a proposal to change a pre-existing law that must

be presented for debate before Parliament. This can start in the House of Commons or

in the House of Lords, however it must be approved by both houses in the same form

before it becomes an Act of Parliament, that means a law.

We can imagine that our bill starts in the House of Commons. Here it must passes five

stages.

First of all, there is the first reading, which is the formal introduction of the bill, and is

followed by the order for the bill to be printed.

Then, there is the second reading which is the first possibility for the members of the

chamber to debate as regards the content of the bill.

After the debate, the vote can take place and if the members approve the

secondary-reading-meaning of the bill, this can passes to the next stage.

Thirdly, we have the committee stage in which there is a detailed examination of the

bill. Lots of bills dealt with the Public Bill Committee, whose members suggest

amendments, which are changes, and vote to approve them.

After that, we have the report stage. In this phase all the members can debate and

discuss amendments, also other amendments, and vote to approve them or not. The

speaker decides which amendments must be proposed (unlike the Lords).

Finally, we have the third reading which is the phase during which there is the final

debate as regards the actually content of the bill and no amendments can be made.

Members vote and if the bill is approved it can be analysed by the Lords.

Even in this chamber it must passes five stages.

We have the first reading in which the long title of the Bill which explain the content

and the porpoise of the document is read and the bill is printed.

Then, there’s the second reading which is the first possibility for the Lords to debate

and discuss about the principles and the content of the bill, and discuss defining the

areas in which, in their opinions, changes are needed.

A list of speakers is opened and each member which is interested in changing the bill

and participating to the debate can add his name. The list is published shortly before

the beginning of the debate and there’s the order in which the lords will speak.

Any member of the lords can take part.

After this stage, we can find the Committee stage. In this phase every part of the bill is

examined in details and has to be agreed to. Each amendment can be discuss, without

any temporal limit and then votes on amendments take place.

Every member of the Lords can participate.

If the bill is changed at the end of this stage, it is reprinted including all the new

amendments.

In the report stage there is a line by line examination of the document as to allow to

the members to analyse again the issues on which they had discuss before.

Again, all amendments can be discussed and vote can take place.

This stage can be spread over several days.

If the bill is amended at report stage it is re-printed to include all the amendments.

In the third reading there is the final chance to debate and change the bill. Every

amendment must be discussed and votes can happen. Any member can take part.

Amendments can be made at this stage, provided the issue has not been considered

or voted before.

Changes are allowed to permit to the government to clarify any difficult point

maintaining any promise it has made at earlier passages.

After these passages we have the consideration of amendments.

Indeed, as we have already said the Houses must approve the same form of the bill.

So, if the Commons suggest any amendments, the Bill comes back to the Lords which

must agree or not, or make some alternative proposal..