A law new is legislation that has been proposed and passed by a legislature such as Congress. Laws may also be called statutes or acts. Laws are official rules that govern how people must behave within a society or country. Laws can be created by a legislative body, such as Congress, or by an executive authority such as the President.
The concept of law began to evolve in ancient Greek philosophy, including the idea that laws reflect unchanging moral principles. Philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham and John Austin analyzed the nature of law by asking what is its purpose. Bentham’s utilitarian answer was that “law is a set of commands, backed by threat of sanctions, from a sovereign to whom people have a habit of obedience.” Other philosophers, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, argued that laws reflected natural laws of human behavior.
Legislation begins with an idea for a policy change. This idea can come from a senator’s constituents, an organization that calls for a law or State agency. Once the idea is settled, it is drafted into a bill. The bill drafting process requires specialized legal training and is usually performed by the legislative bill drafting staff. After a bill is drafted, the committee staff writes a committee report, which sets out the entire scope of the bill and explains why it should be approved.