The Committee Process
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The Committee Process
The Senate and the House have standing committees in order to handle the large volume of bills introduced, which affords the opportunity for all bills to receive careful consideration in each legislative chamber. The Clerk of the Senate refers all Senate bills to one of ten standing committees or the Committee on Rules, based on the subject matter. In the House, the Speaker of the House refers all House bills to one of 13 standing committees or the Committee on Rules.
Committees often hold public hearings on bills; this is an excellent opportunity for citizens to give input on proposed legislation. Below is a sample of a typical committee meeting's schedule.
The committee chair chooses which bills to include on the docket, which is made available to all patrons and interested parties.
Regularly scheduled committee meeting is held.
Chief patron explains purpose of the bill.
Experts may testify.
Senators and Delegates pose questions.
Public input by way of the following:
Verbal testimony.
Letters, phone calls, e-mail messages and faxed correspondence.
Committee action:
A bill is sent to the floor of the Senate or House.
A bill is referred to another committee.
A bill is defeated or the committee fails to take action.
In an even-numbered year, the committee can continue the legislation to the next year.
Bills are reported from committee before they are considered on the floor of the Senate or the House of Delegates. Bills passed by the Senate are communicated to the House of Delegates for consideration and vice versa.
Committee Action Terms
The definitions below briefly describe actions taken by committees.
CARRY OVER (CONTINUE)—The committee removes the bill from consideration and continues it to the next year. This action can only occur during an even-numbered year session. A carry-over bill retains its assigned bill number in the odd-numbered year session.
FAIL TO REPORT (DEFEAT)—The committee rejects to report a bill to the full house.
INCORPORATE—The committee merges one or more bills into another.
NO ACTION TAKEN—The committee takes no formal action and the bill dies at the time of the committee deadline.
PASS BY INDEFINITELY (PBI)—A committee action to kill a measure. This action allows the committee to reconsider legislation at a later meeting. If the committee takes no further action, the bill is “dead.”
REPORT—The majority of the committee approves the bill and it is reported to the floor. The bill may be reported three ways: without amendment(s), with amendment(s), or with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. A bill may also be reported and referred to another committee.
REREFERRAL—The majority of the committee deems it necessary for another committee to consider the legislation.
STRIKE—The bill is removed from the docket. This action frequently occurs at the request of the patron.
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