Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

62442
House Bill No._______
______________________________________________________________________________

Introduced by the Honorable Daphne Maureen Costales, Edgar

Digman, Onie Dela Cruz, Colleen Kaye Hilario, Ariel Lapira,
Avelyne Marie Milagros Limpin, Precious Ivy Lopez, Randal Clint
Marquez
______________________________________________________________________________

An Act
How laws are made; what is legislative history, minutes of committee meeting, committee
reports, bicameral committee reports, legislative reports, legislative journal, privilege
speech

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress

assembled:

1. Section 1. Definition of terms

2. a) Statutes
3. • An act of the legislature as an organized body,
4. • Written will of the legislature
5. • Expressed according to the form necessary to constitute it a law of the state and
6. rendered authentic by certain prescribed forms and solemnities
7. b) Law
8. • Rules of conduct, just and obligatory, laid down by legitimate authority for the
9. common observance and benefit.
10. c) Bill
11. • A proposed law
12. • Draft of a law submitted to the consideration of the legitimate body for adoption.

d) Legislative History
13.
• It refers to the life of a particular bill from the time it was filed until such time as
14.
it is signed into law to either the Senate Record or the Record of the House of
15.
Representatives.
16.

17.
e) Minutes of Committee Meetings
18. • It refers to a transcription or records of the deliberations made during committee
19. hearings.

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20. •It is an accurate record of the proceedings of a meeting in chronological order and
21. serves a historical and legal purpose.
22. f) Committee Reports
23.
• It is a formal statement made by a committee on a bill referred to it. It must
24.
contain result of the public hearing or committee discussions and the committee
25.
may introduces amendments, consolidate bills on the same subject matter, or
26.
proposes a substitute bill.
27.
g) Bicameral Committee Reports
28.
29. • It refers to a formal report given by a bicameral committee to both chambers of
30. Congress outlining and explaining the reasons behind the reconciliation of the
disagreeing provisions of a bill. It contains the original version of both houses,
plus the reconciled version of the bill.
31.
32. h) Legislative Record
33. • It may refer to either the Senate Record or the Record of the House of
Representatives.
• It is a verbatim record of the deliberations of both chambers in plenary sessions.
34.
35. i) Legislative Journal
36. • It may refer to either the Senate Record or the Record of the House of
37. Representatives. Each house has its own journal.
• It is a narrative of the plenary sessions of Congress.
38.
39. j) Privilege Speeches
40. • These refer to speeches delivered by legislators in plenary session dealing either
with a question of personal privilege of collective privilege.
41.
42. Section 2. Preparation of the bill
43. • The Member or the Bill Drafting Division of the Reference and Research Bureau
44. prepares and drafts the bill upon the Member's request.
45. • Proposed legislative measure introduced by a member of congress for enactment into
46. law.
47. • Embrace only one subject which shall be expressed in the title.
48. • Signed by the authors
49. • File with the secretary of the house
50. • Bills may originate from either lower or upper house
• Secretary reports the bill for first reading
51.
52. Section 3. Title of bills
53. • Article VI, Section 26 (1) of the constitution states that “Every bill passed by the
54. congress shall embrace only one subject which shall be expressed in the title
55. thereof
56. • Purpose:
57. o Prevent hodgepodge or log-rolling legislation. Any act containing several
58. subjects dealing with unrelated matters representing diverse interests.
59. o Prevent surprise or fraud upon legislature

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 o Fairly apprise the people.
60.
61.
62. Section 4. Bills Exclusive to the Lower House
63. • Appropriation bill
64. • Revenue bill
65. • Tariff bill
• Bill Increasing Public Debt
66. • Bill of Local Application
67.
68.
Section 5. First Reading
69.  The bill is filed with the Bills and Index Service and the same is numbered and reproduced.
70.  Three days after its filing, the same is included in the Order of Business for First Reading.
71.  On First Reading, the Secretary General reads the title and number of the bill. The Speaker
72. then refers the bill to the appropriate Committee/s.
 The committee then studies the bill before submitting it to the committee of rules or laid on
73. the table.
74.
75. Section 6. Committee Consideration
76. • The Committee where the bill was referred to evaluates it to determine the necessity of
77. conducting public hearings.
78. • If the Committee finds it necessary to conduct public hearings, it schedules the time thereof,
79. issues public notices and invites resource persons from the public and private sectors, the
80. academe and experts on the proposed legislation.
81. • If the Committee finds that no public hearing is not needed, its schedules the bill for Committee
82. discussion/s.
83. • Based on the result of the public hearings or Committee discussions, the Committee may
84. introduce amendments, consolidate bills on the same subject matter, or propose a subsitute bill. It
85. then prepares the corresponding committee report.
• The Committee approves the Committee Report and formally transmits the same to the Plenary
86. Affairs Bureau.
87.
88. Section 7. Committee report
89. • What does it contain?
90. o Result of the public hearings or Committee discussions
91. o Committee --- introduce amendments, consolidate bills on the same subject matter, or
92 propose a substitute bill
93. • What happened to the committee report
94. o Registered and numbered by the Bills and Index Service
95. o Included in the Order of Business
o Referred to the Committee on Rules.
96. o Schedules the bill for consideration on Second Reading.
97.
98. Section 8. Second reading
99. • It is the period of Sponsorship and Debate, a period of amendments and where voting
100. takes place
• What happens prior to the third reading?
o If changes were made in the second reading, new copies are printed.

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101. o The bill is scheduled for third reading. Members of the House receive a copy at least
102. three days before the reading day.

103. Section 9. Third reading

104. • What happens in the third reading?
105. o Bill number and title is read
106. o Voting (yea or nay). Roll call happens and senators or Congressmen have three minutes
107. to explain their votes, if they want.
108. o No more discussions on the bill
109. • What are the effects of approval and rejection?
110. o If the bill is approved in the House of Origin, it goes to the Other House.
111. o If the bill is rejected, it dies a natural death.
112. o If the bill is approved by the Other House, it goes to the President for appropriate action.
113. o If the Other House rejects it, it dies a natural death

114. Section 10. Bicameral Committee

115. • What is a bicameral committee?
116. • Committee composed of congressmen and senators
117. • Formed when the versions of the two Houses have conflict
118. • Committee is tasked to reconcile the versions

119. Section 11. Transmittal of the bill to the president

120. • Copies of the bill, signed by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of
121. Representatives and certified by both the Secretary of the Senate and the Secretary
122.
General of the House, are transmitted to the President.
123. Section 10. Presidential action on the bill
124. • Ways for a bill to be a law
125.
o The bill is approved by the president
126.
127.
o Overriding a veto
128.  If the Congress decides to override the veto, the House and the Senate
129. shall proceed separately to reconsider the bill or the vetoed items of the
130. bill. If the bill or its vetoed items is passed by a vote of two-thirds of the
131. Members of each House, such bill or items shall become a law.
132. o Non-action of the president
133.  When the president does not sign nor communicate his veto of the bill within
thirty days after his receipt thereof. The bill automatically becomes a law.

Approved,

Hon. Group 4
2nd reporters on legal research
at the University of Cordilleras