Learn · A game
From idea to law
Steer a bill through the Iowa Legislature, one choice at a time. The rules are the real ones1.
- The idea
- Committee
- The floor
- The Senate
- The Governor
What happened: The Speaker rules it not germane: amendments must be on the bill’s subject. The House passes your bill 58–40.
Decision 9
The other chamber and the second funnel
The bill goes to the Senate, where the Majority Leader sends it to a committee. By the second funnel, in about three weeks, it has to clear a Senate committee.
Learn more: Bills still alive
Your bill so far (8 choices)
- You have an idea: A rule: new school buses must have stop-arm cameras. A policy bill. It will face both funnel deadlines.
- Getting it written: Ask the Legislative Services Agency to draft it. Nonpartisan staff at the Legislative Services Agency draft it and give it an LSB drafting number.
- Who sponsors it?: Yours, with a few cosponsors. It’s introduced as a House File and sent to a committee.
- Which committee?: Ways and Means. The Speaker sends it to Education instead: a school rule goes to the committee for its subject. Ways and Means is each chamber’s tax committee.
- The subcommittee: Ask parents and a bus driver to come and speak, and others to send written comments. Each speaks for two minutes. The subcommittee recommends passing it.
- The full committee and the first funnel: Accept a committee amendment to win a vote: cameras only on buses bought from 2028. The amended bill passes the committee and is placed on the House calendar.
- Counting votes: Ask leaders to defer it while you find three more. Debate is deferred. By the next day you have the votes: it needs 51 in the House.
- An amendment from the floor: Raise a point of order: it’s off the bill’s subject. The Speaker rules it not germane: amendments must be on the bill’s subject. The House passes your bill 58–40.