Report / Reported / H. Rept. / S. Rept. (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms

Report / Reported

Report / Reported: Formal submission of a measure by a committee to its parent chamber.

Both a verb and a noun as a congressional term. A committee that has been examining a bill referred to it by the parent chamber “reports” its findings and recommendations to the chamber when it completes consideration and returns the measure. The process is called “reporting” a bill.

There are two types of reports:
House and Senate Reports: Reports of congressional committees concerning proposed legislation and/or contain findings on matters under investigation.

Senate Executive Reports: Reports of the Committee on Foreign Relations relating to treaties between the United States and foreign nations which have been submitted to the Senate for ratification, or are reports of various Senate committees regarding nomination of individuals. See Executive Business and Executive Calendar.

A “report” is the document setting forth the committee’s explanation of its action. Senate and House reports are numbered separately and are designated S. Rept. (Senate Report) or H. Rept. (House Report). For example, S. Rept. 112-44 was the 44th Senate committee report filed in the 112th Congress. Executive reports in the Senate are designated Exec. Rept.

In the House, reports are required, while in the Senate they are not. When a committee report is not unanimous, the dissenting committee members may file a statement of their views, called minority views and referred to as a minority report. Members in disagreement with some provisions of a bill may file additional or supplemental views. Sometimes a bill is reported without a committee recommendation.

Legislative committees occasionally submit adverse reports. However, when a committee is opposed to a bill, it usually fails to report the bill at all. Some laws require that committee reports – favorable or adverse – be made.

Also see

• Committee Report
• § 6.60, Committee Reports, § 9.10 Types of Documents, in Congressional Deskbook
• Chapter 3.G. Reporting Legislation to the Floor; in Congressional Procedure

More

• Search Committee Reports – Congress.gov
• Congressional Reports including Conference Reports – Govinfo.gov
• Senate Reports – Govinfo.gov
• House Reports – Govinfo.gov
• Senate Rule XXVIII – Conference Committees; Reports; Open Meetings
• House Rule X – Organization of Committees
• House Rule XI – Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business
• “Senate Committee Reports: Required Contents,” CRS Report 98-305 (3-page PDF)
• “House Committee Reports: Required Contents,” CRS Report 98-169 (5-page PDF)
• “House Committee Reports: Required Contents,” CRS Report R47039 (10-page PDF)
• “Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the House,” CRS Report 98-736 (3-page PDF)
• “Appropriations Bills: What is Report Language?” CRS Report 98-558 (5-page PDF)
• “Conference Reports and Joint Explanatory Statements,” CRS Report 98-382 (5-page PDF)
• “Appropriations Report Language: Overview of Development, Components, and Issues for Congress,” CRS Report R44124 (37-page PDF)

Courses

• Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop
• Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments
• Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing
• Custom Training
• Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments in a Nutshell, Audio Course on CD
• Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking Series, a Nine-Course series on CD

Publications

Legislative Drafter’s Deskbook: A Practical Guide

Pocket Constitution

Citizen’s Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials: A Guide for Citizen Lobbyists and Grassroots Advocates

Congressional Procedure

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