Introduction

The Legislative Process: 76-1

INTRODUCTION

When a legislator decides that an idea should be written into bill form, the legislator submits a request to the Legislative Service Bureau (LSB) to complete a bill draft. The LSB staff works with the legislator to draft legislation which meets the specifications as described by the legislator. The bill draft is then returned to the legislator for review. By rule, all legislation must be drafted by the LSB to maintain consistency with Iowa law. (For specific procedures, please refer to Part V of this Handbook, "Central Nonpartisan Legislative Agencies .")

The legislator then files the bill draft with the Secretary of the Senate or the Chief Clerk of the House. The bill draft is reviewed by the Senate or House Legal Counsel's Office, is assigned a bill number, and is presented to the presiding officer of the chamber, either the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House. The presiding officer orders the reading of the bill's number and title to the chamber and assigns it to a standing committee for review and recommendation. Committee-sponsored bills may be immediately placed on the chamber's calendar for debate or assigned to another committee for further review.

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Last update: 1995
URL: /DOCS/GA/76GA/LSB/LegHandbook/LegProcess/Intro.html
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