A primer
How Congress works.
Everything moving through this site is part of one specific process — the writing, debating and passing of federal law. Here is a short guide to what's happening and who is doing it.
§ 01 — Institution
What is Congress?
Congress is the law-making branch of the federal government — the elected body that writes, debates, amends and passes the laws under which the United States operates. It is divided into two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate, and meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Each two-year period of work is numbered. The current Congress picks up where the last one left off; bills that didn't make it through must be reintroduced. That's why every bill on this site is tagged with the Congress it belongs to.
§ 02 — Structure
The two chambers.
For a bill to become a law, both the House and the Senate must pass it in identical form. The two chambers serve different — and deliberately countervailing — purposes.
The People's Chamber
House of Representatives
Representation by population. Each state's seats are apportioned according to its share of the national population, so larger states have more votes.
- Members
- 435
- Term length
- 2 years
- Leader
- Speaker
The States' Chamber
Senate
Equal representation by state. Every state — no matter its size — has exactly two Senators, and one third of the seats come up for election every two years.
- Members
- 100
- Term length
- 6 years
- Leader
- Vice President
§ 03 — The instrument
What is a bill?
A bill is a written proposal for a new law, or for a change to an existing one. It is the basic instrument by which Congress legislates. Bills are written by members of Congress (often with help from staff, lawyers, and outside groups) and introduced into one of the two chambers.
Most bills die quietly: more than ninety percent never become law. Many are introduced symbolically, to put an idea on the record; others fail in committee. The few that survive may travel for months or years before reaching the President's desk.
§ 04 — Process
A bill's journey, in seven stages.
Every bill on this site is tracked through the same set of stages. The progress bar you see on a bill's page corresponds to its position on this path.
01
Introduced
A member of Congress formally puts the bill on the record in their chamber. The bill receives an official number, like H.R. 1234 (House) or S. 567 (Senate).
02
In committee
The bill is referred to one or more standing committees, where most of the substantive work happens — hearings, expert testimony, amendments, and often, quiet death.
03
Passed one chamber
If the committee reports the bill out, the full chamber debates and votes on it. A simple majority is enough for passage.
04
Passed both chambers
The other chamber repeats the process. If both pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles them into a single text that both chambers must approve again.
05
To the President
Once both chambers agree on identical language, the bill is enrolled and sent to the President.
06
Signed
The President signs the bill within ten days. (If they do nothing while Congress is in session, it also becomes law. A veto sends it back, where Congress may override with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.)
07
Became law
The bill is now an Act, assigned a Public Law number (e.g. PL 118-42), and added to the United States Code.
Now you're ready.
Browse the bills in Congress