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General Information lesson

How Things Happen: Bills, Succession, Martial Law, Impeachment, Amendments

Five constitutional processes step by step: how a bill becomes law, who takes over when the presidency is vacant, the limits on martial law, how officials are impeached, and how the Constitution is changed.

35 min read · Professional and Sub-Professional

What it is

Some parts of the Constitution are not single facts but processes: steps that must happen in a fixed order, each with its own body, vote or deadline. This lesson walks through five of them:

  1. how a bill becomes a law;
  2. presidential succession (who becomes or acts as President);
  3. martial law and the writ of habeas corpus, with their safeguards;
  4. impeachment and other accountability rules;
  5. amending or revising the Constitution.

Why it matters on the exam

Process items ask "what happens next?", "who acts?" or "how many days?". The traps move a step to the wrong body (the Senate starting an impeachment), use the wrong vote (3/4 to override a veto), or use the wrong deadline. If you can walk the steps in order, you can answer any item about them.

These processes also run the government you will work in: every law, budget and change of leadership follows them.

Rule 1 of 9How a bill becomes a law
A bill has one subject, stated in its title. It passes three readings on separate days in each House; printed copies reach the Members 3 days before the final vote unless the President certifies it as urgent; no amendment is allowed on third reading. Then it goes to the President, who signs or vetoes it. Congress overrides a veto by 2/3 of all the Members of each House. If the President does not act within 30 days after receiving it, it becomes law. The item veto applies only to appropriation, revenue or tariff bills. Appropriation, revenue and tariff bills, bills raising the public debt, local bills and private bills must start in the House; the Senate may propose amendments. If no new budget law passes, the previous one is deemed reenacted.
Worked example 1 of 5A bill the President does not act on
Congress passes a bill and sends it to the President, who receives it and does nothing for the next 30 days. What happens to the bill?
  1. It is automatically vetoed (pocket veto).
  2. It returns to the House for a second vote.
  3. It becomes law as if the President had signed it.
  4. It goes to the Supreme Court for review.
  5. It is held until the next regular session.
Step 1 · Find the stepThe bill is at the President, the last step.
Read the full lesson

The rest of this lesson, and every other lesson, is part of ReviewTayo.

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In the full lesson

  • How to recognize it on the test
  • What to look for (4 checks)
  • All 9 rules and tools
  • 5 worked examples, every step explained
  • 6 common mistakes and how to fix them
  • 3 exam techniques
  • Remember: 6 key points
  • Practice questions with explanations, and your progress saved
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More General Information lessons

ReviewTayo has 47 lessons that follow the official scope of the exam, each with rules, worked examples, common mistakes and practice. Open one and read the first part.

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