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Enactment of a Law
Messages and Amendments Between the Houses
| Senate Action on House Amendments
| Bills Originating in the House |
Senate Action on House
Amendments
Senate bills returned with House amendments are held at the desk
and almost always are subsequently laid before the Senate by the Presiding
Officer upon request or motion of a Senator (usually the Majority Leader
or the manager of the bill). The Presiding Officer may also do this upon
his own initiative, but this is rarely done. After the House message has
been laid down, the House's amendments may be considered individually or,
by unanimous consent, en bloc. Any one off the following motions relating
to the amendment or amendments may then be offered, taking precedence in
the order named : (1) a motion to refer the amendments to a standing committee
of the Senate, (2) a motion to amend the amendments; (3) a motion to agree
to the amendments; and (4) a motion to disagree to the amendments and ask
a conference with the House. Usually number (4) includes authority for
the Presiding Officer to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate, although
the power to name conferees is in the Senate, not in the Chair. The number
of conferees named varies widely. The usual range is 7 to 11, but occasionally
a larger number is appointed, especially in the case of general appropriation
bills or omnibus bills such as reconcilation measures.
In the case of motion number (2), the amendments made by the Senate
to the House amendments are transmitted to the House, with a request for
its concurrence therein. If the House concurs or agrees in all the amendments
(the words being used synonymously), the legislative steps in the passage
of the bill are completed. The House, however, may amend the Senate amendments
to the House amendments, this being the second, and therefore the last,
degree in which amendments between the Houses may be made. The House amendments,
if any, are transmitted to the Senate, usually with a request for concurrence
therein. As in the case of the original House amendments, the Senate may
agree to some, disagree to others, or ask for a conference with the House
thereon.
A conference may be requested at any stage of the consideration of
these amendments between the houses. If, instead, the Senate agrees to
all the House amendments to the Senate bill or to the Senate's amendments
to House amendments, such action brings the two Houses into complete agreement,
and likewise completes the legislative steps.
If the Senate refers the House amendments to a standing committee,
the committee, after consideration, may recommend action indicated in motions
(2), (3), or (4), and may make such a motion accordingly on the Senate
floor.
Bills Originating in
the House
If a bill or resolution originates in the House, it follows the same
steps as set forth above, except in reverse, i.e., a House committee
considers it first; it is passed by the House; it is messaged to the Senate
and referred to a Senate committee; the committee reports it to the Senate
and it is then acted on by that body. If amended, it is returned to the
House for its concurrence in the Senate amendments.
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