Whew!
You sure gotta climb a lot of steps to get to this Capitol Building here in Washington.
But I wonder who that sad little scrap of paper is?
I'm just a bill.
Yes, I'm only a bill.
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it's a long, long journey
To the capital city.
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee,
But I know I'll be a law some day
At least I hope and pray that I will
But today I am still just a bill.
Gee, Bill,
You certainly have a lot of patience and courage.
Well, I got this far.
When I started I wasn't even a bill
I was just an idea
Some folks back home decided they wanted a law passed
So they called their local Congressman, and he said
You're right, there oughta be a law.
Then he sat down
And wrote me out and introduced me to Congress.
And I became a bill, and I'll remain a bill
Until they decide to make me a law.
I'm just a bill
Yes I'm only a bill,
And I got as far as Capitol Hill.
Well, now I'm stuck in committee
And I'll sit here and wait
While a few key Congressmen discuss and debate
Whether they should let me be a law.
How I hope and pray that they will,
But today I am still just a bill.
Listen to those Congressmen arguing!
Is all that discussion and debate about you.
Yeah, I'm one of the lucky ones.
Most bills never even get this far.
I hope they decide to report on me favorably
Otherwise I may die.
Die?
Yeah, die in committee.
Ooh, but it looks like I'm gonna live!
Now I go to the House of Representatives
And they vote on me.
If they vote yes, what happens?
Then I go to the Senate and the whole thing starts
All over again.
Oh no!
Oh yes!
I'm just a bill
Yes, I'm only a bill
And if they vote for me on Capitol Hill
Well, then I'm off to the White House
Where I'll wait in a line
With a lot of other bills
For the president to sign
And if he signs me, then I'll be a law.
How I hope and pray that he will,
But today I am still just a bill.
You mean even if the whole Congress says you
Should be a law, the president can still say no?
Yes, that's called a veto.
If the president vetoes me,
I have to go back to Congress
And they vote on me again
And by that time you're so old ...
By that time it's very unlikely that you'll become a law.
It's not easy to become a law, is it?
No!
But how I hope and pray that I will,
But today I am still just a bill.
He signed you, Bill
Now you're a law!
Oh yes!!!