Legislation establishes laws that govern the actions of individuals and businesses, providing a framework within which all other rules operate. This legislation can include everything from establishing fair business practices to enforcing public safety and privacy.
A non-debatable motion that, when agreed to, ends debate on a bill, prevents the offering of additional amendments, and brings a pending measure to an immediate vote. Often times, legislators use these motions to cut off debate on controversial or contentious bills and to impose procedural deadlines.
An informal, unofficial title for a piece of legislation used for ease of reference until the law is published in a more permanent form. Public laws are reprinted in Statutes at Large and subsequently incorporated into the United States Code, while private laws are only available on this website until the law is updated and republished by the Government Publishing Office.
The process of turning an idea for a law into actual legislation starts when a person or group persuades a Member of Congress to sponsor it. Once sponsored, the bill is sent to the office of legislative counsel where it is drafted into its final form.
The bill is then referred to one or more committees, with the chief House author presiding over a House committee and the Senate president overseeing a Senate committee. After the committee considers the bill, its members recommend action to the full House or Senate. If the two chambers have different versions of the bill, a conference committee is formed to resolve differences and produce a single version that both houses can agree upon. This version of the bill is referred to as a “conference report.” Once the conference report has been enrolled by the House clerk or Senate secretary, it becomes a public law.
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