best_practices_2013

BEST PRACTICES 2013
to legislative language and an explanation of how the compromise was
reached.
The importance of the Conference Committee Report to the researcher is
that this gives an idea of the give and take to reach consensus of the bill. It
provides insight to what Congress was thinking when it finalized the
language of the bill.
Tip: You should always provide the patron with the conference report
whether he/she is aware of its existence. It lists line by line those lines of
the bill that were deleted or amended.
You will be asked for “the conference report,” by the patron in the know.
But there is only a conference report if there were conflicting bills. Not every
bill passed into law will have a conference report.
Terms for versions of Bills
Reported version is the version presented in the first Chamber.
Engrossed is version after passage in first Chamber.
Act, formerly Bill: This is when the bill is sent from the first Chamber to
the second Chamber.
Reported is the language of the bill from the second Chamber.
Engrossed is also the version after passage in the second Chamber. It
may be the entire text or just the amendments.
Enrolled Bill is a final version of the bill with changes and amendments
after being signed by the officials of both Chambers. This is the version
that goes to the President.
Voting
The conference report must be passed by a majority vote in both Chambers.
After both Chambers have adopted the conference report, an enrolled
version of the bill is prepared by the originating Chamber. Both the Speaker
of the House and the President of the Senate must sign the enrolled bill.
23