Graphic View of How a Bill Becomes a Law

A Bill must be approved by both the Senate and Assembly to be sent to the Governor to be signed. If there is a companion (the same) Bill in each house and is motorcycle related ABATE keeps track of the bill. If the Bill is good or bad for motorcycling we lobby for or against the Bill by writing polite letters and calling our Senators and Assemblymen. The ABATE of New York State Legislative Coordinator will decide what needs to be done and notify each Chapter Legislative Coordinator who will report the information to the chapters and implement the writing letter campaign if necessary.

Very Basic Description
Anybody can go to their State Assemblyman or State Senator with a complaint or idea that may become a Bill, in ABATE the State Board does this. The Assemblyman or Senator has the bill written and then it is given a number. The Sponsor of the Bill asks other representatives to co-sponsor the Bill. It is then sent to a committee. For example the Helmet Repeal Bill is sent to the Transportation committee. In the committee the chairperson can do any of the below options under Possible Committee actions. You can follow the diagram to see the process. By the way, "reported" means passed.

This is just a simple explanation. One thing confusing to everyone new is who you can ask to co-sponsor a bill. If a Democrat sponsors the bill only Democrats will be able to sign on as co-sponsors and vice versa. Bill numbers are easy to keep track of, the is either an A or a S before the number. A=Assembly S=Senate