Harkening back to my old days of where I used to cover the U.S. House and Senate, here's a quick primer on the U.S. legislative process:
In order for a piece of legislation to become law, it must:
First be introduced as a bill, either in the House of Representatives or the Senate.
After the House or Senate approves the bill, it moves to the other chamber where it must be introduced and passed. So in the case of the Spyware bill, now that it has passed the House, it must be introduced and passed in the Senate.
Once a bill is passed by both houses, it then goes into conference -- because neither the House or Senate pass identical versions of the same bill. A group of Senators and Congressman negotiate to create a final bill that is eventually approved and sent to the president.
The president then has the option to sign the bill into law or veto it. If the president vetoes the bill, Congress has the option to override the veto. It takes a two-thirds vote by both the Senate and the House to override the veto.
And in case you're wondering what the difference between the House and the Senate is, House members have two year terms, and every seat in the House is up for re-election every two years. The Senate has six year terms. And 1/3 of those seats are up for re-election every two years.
Hope this answers any questions.
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