title: Government 101: how an idea becomes law.
abstract: The passing of a law is frequently accompanied by media attention and citizen apathy. In today's healthcare delivery situation, we should understand how a bill becomes law and what happens to the idea that engenders that process. Laws arise from the recommendations of ordinary citizens, but the recommendations follow a complicated process developed by the writers of our constitution to prevent abuses. Laws begin as ideas, they become bills considered by the legislature, they are expanded and enforced by the executive branch, and they are further interpreted by the judiciary branch. The laws governing healthcare issues are particularly complex, as most arise from the state legislatures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, Dartmouth Massachusetts 02747-2300, USA. JGriffith@UMassD.edu
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Griffith
mesh_terms: D035082:Federal Government; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D007878:Legislation as Topic; D011640:Public Policy; D014481:United States