From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms

Engrossed Bill / Engrossed Measure

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The final official copy of a bill as passed by one chamber, with the text as amended by floor action and certified by the clerk of the House or the secretary of the Senate. After a measure has been passed by one house, an engrossed version is transmitted to the other chamber. When a measure is received in the second chamber, it is either ordered “held at the desk” or referred to the appropriate committee.

If the second chamber, the recipient chamber, considers and passes the measure with changes, it returns it to the chamber of origin. The originating chamber has several options. It can accept the second chamber’s amendment, it can accept the second chamber’s amendment with a further amendment, or it can disagree with the other chamber’s amendment and request a conference. The second chamber can also request a conference immediately rather than returning the measure to the first chamber with an amendment. A chamber must possess the papers to request a conference. The papers are the engrossed measure (measure as passed by the first chamber), engrossed amendments (measure as passed by the second chamber), and messages of transmittal between the chambers. The second chamber’s engrossed version appears as an amendment or amendments to the first chamber’s measure. A public print might also be printed, incorporating the second chamber’s–almost always the Senate’s–amendment into the text of the measure.

The first page of an engrossed version contains just the measure number and the designation An Act rather than A Bill or A Resolution.

Also see Amendment; Conference Committee; Bills; Custody of the Papers; Enrolled Bill; Resolution; § 6.260 Reconciling Differences between House-Passed and Senate-Passed Legislation, § 6.270 Amendments between the Houses, § 9.60 Versions of Legislation, in Congressional Deskbook.

More

• “Engrossment, Enrollment, and Presentation of Legislation,” CRS Report 98-826
• “Resolving Legislative Differences in Congress: Conference Committees and Amendments Between the Houses,” CRS Report 98-696

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CongressionalGlossary.com, from TheCapitol.Net

Resolution/Simple Resolution: Sentiment of one chamber on an issue, or a measure to carry out the administrative or procedural business of the chamber. Does not become law. Designated as H. Res. or S. Res.

This definition is from our Glossary of Legislative and Congressional Terms. Perfect reference tool of Congressional jargon and procedural terms. Learn how to translate words that are used every day on Capitol Hill. Our legislative glossary is based on the Glossary in the Congressional Deskbook, by Michael Koempel and Judy Schneider.

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