From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Refer / Referral Muddy Waters – Champagne & Reefer Refer: Assignment of a measure to committee Once introduced in the House or Senate, or passed by one chamber and sent to the other, most measures are referred to committee. Referral to committee occurs … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms By Request House (House Rule XII – Receipt and Referral of Measures) and Senate rules permit a member to introduce a measure at the request of the president, an executive agency, or a private individual although that member may be opposed to the legislation. The … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Call of the Calendar Senate bills not brought up for debate by a motion, unanimous consent or a unanimous consent agreement are brought before the Senate for action when the calendar listing them is “called.” Bills must be called in the order listed. Measures considered … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Bills Introduced / Bills Referred / Sponsor Bills Introduced: In both the House and Senate, any number of members may join in introducing a single bill or resolution. The first member listed is the sponsor of the bill, and all members’ names following his or … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Reading of Bills Rand Paul Refuses to Vote Without Reading the Bill Traditional parliamentary procedure required bills to be read three times before they were passed. This custom is of little modern significance. Normally a bill is considered to have its first reading … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Nongermane Amendment photo credit: bfelice An amendment that would add new and different subject matter to, or may be irrelevant to, the bill or other measure it seeks to amend. Senate rules permit nongermane amendments in all but a few specific circumstances. The amending process … Read more