Because the legislative process can be a bit confusing, I thought it would be helpful to include a little more information about what happens to legislation after it passes both chambers. 

Once a bill has passed both the House and Senate, it goes to what we call a conference committee. The purpose of this committee is to discuss policy differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill.  The committee is composed of three members from each chamber who work to reach an agreement that will be acceptable to both houses.  

Conference committees are limited to considering only matters which have been included in the bill or in bills which have been passed in one or both houses.  This process can sometimes be quite time consuming, especially with budget bills, and may require several rounds of negotiation. 

If a conference committee is unable to reach agreement, it must report so to the house of origin.  A new conference committee must be appointed or the bill is deemed “killed.”  If the conference committee agrees upon the content of a bill, which may include amendments, it is presented to both houses for consideration. 

At this point, only up or down votes are permitted- the bill cannot be amended further in either chamber.  If the agreement is adopted, it goes to the governor for signature or veto.  In budget bills, the governor retains the authority to line-item veto, meaning she can approve the bill overall but veto specific provisions. 

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Paid for by Cindy Neighbor for State Representative - Kathleen Jenkins, Treasurer