Legislation is the law made by governing bodies that governs how people and organisations behave. Its purpose is to ensure order, justice and fairness within society. It sets standards and limits, imposes requirements, creates frameworks and provides guidance.
The legislative process includes researching, discussing, amending and voting on proposed laws. It is a complex system that is concerned with the words used in the legislation to communicate its values, judgements and purposes. It is also concerned with the way in which laws are applied by government agencies to determine compliance and adjudicate disputes.
Each piece of legislation begins as a policy idea. These ideas can come from the public, a senator’s constituents, an organization calling for a new law or a State official. Once a senator or member of the House has an idea for a bill, they may contact their staff who can help them develop it into a draft bill. The draft bill is sent to the Legislative Counsel’s office to be drafted into actual legislation. The legislation is then returned to the legislator for their review. If they approve of the legislation, they will sign it. They may also ask their constituents to support the bill by “cosponsoring” it.
A bill must pass both the House and Senate to become a law. If the bills do not have exactly the same language, a conference committee is formed to reconcile the differences. The final bill is called a conference report and, once approved by both houses, it becomes a law.
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