What does it mean when a bill is voted on by a committee?

What does it mean when a bill is voted on by a committee?

A lot happens to a bill between the time it is introduced and the day it’s signed into law. In both federal and state governments, committee votes are an important part of a bill’s journey.

After introduction in a legislative body (such as a senate, house of representatives or assembly), a bill is referred to the committee—comprised of legislators elected to serve in that body—appropriate to the bill’s subject matter. Because bills might impact several layers of government, they often have to be considered by several committees. For example, say a state senator introduces a bill that seeks to increase fines and jail time for certain acts of animal cruelty. The bill might be assigned to the state senate’s agriculture committee, where many animal-related bills are considered, or to the judiciary committee, since penalty standards are being altered. If enforcement of the proposed new law will require government funding, the bill might also go to a budget or ways and means committee, which will figure out how the bill’s concepts may be financed.

One at a time, each committee debates and “marks up” (edits) the proposed bill. A committee may also add new language and ideas to a bill in the form of amendments. Prior to a full committee vote, there may be open hearings on the bill that allow public testimony.

When the committee’s chairperson decides that the time is right, the revised bill is scheduled to be voted on by the full committee. A simple majority is usually all that is needed to pass. If the bill passes, it either moves to the next committee that needs to consider it or it moves to the floor of the main legislative body—in our example, the state senate—for a vote.

The committee vetting process is almost always the most time-consuming part of creating legislation, and there are many ways in which a bill can be obstructed during this process:

• If a committee deems a bill frivolous or imprudent, it may stop working on the bill by “tabling” it—which means putting it aside—indefinitely.
• A committee chairperson can singlehandedly stop a bill by never calling it for a committee vote. This is what has happened when you hear of a bill “dying in committee.”
• A committee might also assign a bill to a subcommittee for intensive study, creating an extra step in the ladder to passage. Assignment to a subcommittee often means certain death.
• Sometimes, amendments change a bill so dramatically that its original intent becomes obscured. In extreme cases, its sponsor is forced to withdraw support and fight against the very legislation that he or she once championed.

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