Act vs Bill
We all know about laws of the land that are meant to be followed by all citizens of the country. Laws, or legislation as they are referred to, are a prerogative of the parliament that is made of members known as legislators. These legislators discuss debate, amend, and then allow for the passage of a bill that is a proposed legislation. The bill can come from both the government as well as private members. Many people remain confused about differences between a bill and an Act. This article attempts to highlight these differences and makes it easier to grasp the relation between an Act and a Bill.
To begin with, a Bill is a proposed legislation, and it becomes an Act (or a regulation, as the case may be), once it has been discussed and debated by the members of the parliament who can introduce changes in the bill as they deem fit. After a bill has been discussed and passed by the lower house of the parliament, it goes to the upper house of the parliament where it undergoes the same procedure as the lower house and it is only when the upper house also passes the bill in the form that was proposed by the lower house, the bill is sent back to the lower house. Lower house then sends the bill to the President for his approval, and once the President grants his nod, the bill becomes and Act, or the law of the land. If the Upper House proposes any amendments, the bill is once again discussed in the lower house to make suitable amendments. The procedure is repeated again and unless the upper house passes in the form sent by the lower house, the bill cannot become a piece of legislation.
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In brief: Difference Between Act and Bill • A Bill is a draft legislation proposed by a member of the Parliament or it may be introduced by the government itself • The Bill is laid threadbare in the lower house of the parliament and once it has been passed after deliberations, the Bill goes to the Upper house for approval. It is only after the bill gets passed by the upper House also that it is sent to the President for his assent. • The Bill finally becomes a law (Act) of the land once it has been passed by the parliament and also got assent from the President.
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