A bill is a proposed law, a draft that a legislature considers, debates, and either enacts or rejects. Congress introduces thousands of bills in each two-year term, and only a small share become law. Following how a bill moves from an idea to a statute explains why the final text often looks nothing like the first draft.
Bills, Acts, and Resolutions
A bill becomes an act when it passes both chambers, and it becomes a statute, or law, when it is enacted. A resolution is a different instrument. Simple and concurrent resolutions state the sense of one or both chambers and never go to the President. Joint resolutions can carry the force of law when signed, and they are used for measures such as continuing appropriations and constitutional amendments proposed by Congress. The distinction matters because not every measure a legislature votes on is a bill.
Where Legislation Originates
Bills start as ideas from members of Congress, the President, executive agencies, interest groups, constituents, and state governments. A member sponsors the bill, and others may join as cosponsors. Only a member can introduce a bill; outside groups cannot file one directly. The sponsor usually drafts the text with legislative counsel, and the bill is introduced in the chamber the sponsor belongs to. Bills that raise revenue must originate in the House under Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution.
How Measures Are Numbered
| Type | Prefix | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| House bill | H.R. | General legislation |
| Senate bill | S. | General legislation |
| House joint resolution | H.J.Res. | Appropriations, constitutional amendments |
| Senate joint resolution | S.J.Res. | Same purposes as House joint resolutions |
| Concurrent resolution | H.Con.Res. or S.Con.Res. | Budget matters and internal business |
| Simple resolution | H.Res. or S.Res. | Rules and procedure of one chamber |
Bills are numbered in sequence within each two-year Congress, so a bill number alone does not identify a measure unless the Congress is named. A bill in the current Congress and one bearing the same number in an earlier Congress are different proposals.
The Route Through Congress
- Introduction and referral to committee.
- Committee review, hearings, and markup.
- Floor debate and a vote in the first chamber.
- Referral and action in the second chamber.
- Resolution of differences between the chambers.
- Presentment to the President.
The Committee Stage
Committees do most of the work. A committee may hold hearings, call witnesses, and rewrite the text in a markup session. Many bills die here because the committee chair never schedules them. If a committee reports the bill, it reaches the full chamber with a report explaining the measure. In the House, the Rules Committee often sets the terms of floor debate, including which amendments may be offered. In the Senate, unanimous consent agreements and the cloture rule govern the schedule.
Floor Debate and the Senate
In the House, debate is usually time-limited and amendments are constrained by the rule adopted for the bill. In the Senate, debate is generally open, and a senator may filibuster to block a vote. Ending debate requires cloture under Senate Rule XXII, which takes three-fifths of senators duly chosen and sworn, normally 60 votes. That threshold means most major bills need broad support to advance in the Senate.
Reconciling House and Senate Versions
Both chambers must pass identical text before a bill can become law. If the House and Senate pass different versions, they may exchange amendments, or a conference committee of members from both chambers may negotiate a compromise. The resulting conference report must be approved by both chambers. If either chamber alters the text, the bill returns to the other for another vote.
What the President Can Do
Once Congress passes identical text, the bill goes to the President. Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution gives the President three choices: sign the bill into law, veto it and return it with objections, or take no action. If Congress is in session, taking no action for ten days, excluding Sundays, lets the bill become law without a signature. If Congress adjourns before the ten days run out, the bill does not become law, a result called a pocket veto. Congress can override a regular veto with a two-thirds vote of each chamber.
Turning a Law Into the Code
A measure that survives this process receives a public law number and is published as a slip law by the Government Publishing Office at govinfo.gov. The Office of the Law Revision Counsel then organizes enacted laws by subject into the United States Code. The full legislative history, including text versions, committee reports, and recorded votes, is available at congress.gov.
Why Most Bills Stall
Most introduced bills never become law. A bill can stall because the committee chair never schedules it, because leadership does not bring it to the floor, because it lacks the votes for cloture in the Senate, or because the two chambers cannot agree on identical text. Bills also die at the end of a Congress, when all unfinished measures expire and must be reintroduced in the next term. Sponsors often reintroduce the same proposal across several Congresses before it advances or is abandoned.
Following a Bill's Progress
Congress.gov lets the public track each measure through its stages. A bill page shows the sponsor and cosponsors, the text of each version, committee actions, floor votes, and any public law number. The Congressional Record, published at govinfo.gov, captures floor debate and proceedings. Committee reports explain a measure's purpose and expected effect and are often the most useful source for understanding what a bill is meant to do.
Bills in State Legislatures
State legislatures follow similar stages, but the details differ. Some states have a part-time legislature, some allow citizens to propose statutes by initiative, and many governors hold a line-item veto that lets them strike parts of an appropriations bill. State legislature websites publish bill text, calendars, and votes. Because state constitutions and rules control the process, the path for a state bill can look quite different from the federal one.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Legislative procedure is governed by the Constitution, chamber rules, and the specific text of each measure, and it can change from one Congress to the next.