Can a Senator introduce legislation at any time?

Question

If so, why doesn't Hillary Clinton introduce health care legislation now? She's a Senator isn't she? Why does she have to be President before she can do something about health care?

Answer 1

How do you carve a statue of an elephant? Start with a block of granite and simply chip away everything that doesn't look like an elephant. Simple.

But life isn't really that simple. Yes, a Senator can introduce legislation at anytime. But it isn't really just saying, hey, let's pass this law and then voting on it. Legal language is a real problem trying to make sure of no misunderstandings. So there are committees. And some people won't vote for it unless some minor changes are made. So there are more committees. There are many bills going through Congress right now about health care. It's complex so they're having a lot of problems in committee, otherwise everyone will vote against them, just for different reasons.

If you want an idea how a law goes through Congress before it actually becomes a law, you'll want to check out this link. It's pretty easy reading.

http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_law.html

Answer 2

A senator can introduce legislation at any time, but since this is an election year you can count on such bills not getting in. She is running for president and doesn't want one of hers to be beaten or vetoed.