Thousands of bills are introduced in each Congress. No chamber can study them all, so the leaders send each bill to a committee, a smaller group of members who specialize in a subject.
| Kind | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Standing | permanent, by subject; most bills go to one | House Ways and Means (taxes), Appropriations, Armed Services; Senate Finance, Foreign Relations, Judiciary |
| Select or special | set up for a limited purpose, often an investigation | committees to investigate a scandal or study an issue |
| Joint | members of both houses, usually for study or housekeeping | Joint Economic Committee; Joint Committee on Taxation |
| Conference | temporary, members of both houses, to settle differences between the House and Senate versions of one bill | a conference on a farm bill |
Why it works
Committees do the detailed work: they hold hearings (witnesses, experts, agency officials), then mark up the bill (rewrite it line by line) and vote whether to report it to the full chamber. They also gatekeep. A chair who does not schedule a bill can let it die quietly, and roughly nine of every ten bills introduced never get past committee. The House has an escape hatch: a discharge petition signed by 218 members (a majority) can force a bill to the floor, though few succeed. Members seek seats on committees that matter to their districts, and the majority party holds most seats and every chair.
Key idea
Most work happens in committees: standing (permanent, by subject), select or special (temporary), joint (both houses) and conference (to settle House–Senate differences). Committees hold hearings and mark up bills; most bills die there.
Worked example: Which kind?
The House passed a highway bill; the Senate passed a different version. A group from both chambers meets to write one text. What kind of committee is that?
- Temporary, both houses, one bill, settling differences: a conference committee.
Answer: A conference committee.
Worked example: Forcing a vote
A bill has 230 cosponsors in the House, but the committee chair refuses to act. What can its supporters do?
- They can file a discharge petition.
- If 218 members sign it, the bill can be brought to the floor without the committee.
Answer: A discharge petition with 218 signatures.
Common mistake
Thinking every bill gets a vote on the floor. Most bills die in committee without a vote. Check: a bill's path has a gate at the committee step; only bills a committee reports (or that are discharged) reach the floor.