Legislation provides businesses with rules and standards that they must adhere to in order to operate ethically and legally. It covers topics such as employment law, product safety, consumer protection, and data privacy. Compliance with legislation is vital for businesses because it can protect them from fines and, in extreme cases, lawsuits. It also helps to establish trust with stakeholders and create a fair business environment for all.
Bills are legislative proposals introduced in either the House or Senate by the chief author. They are assigned a unique number and, depending on their subject matter, may be given a popular title (e.g., “health care reform bill”). When a bill is introduced, the presiding officer refers it to one or more committees with jurisdiction over its subject matter. Committees call public hearings where they allow experts, advocates and opponents of the bill to testify on its merits or flaws. They also hold deliberative sessions known as mark-up sessions where they consider and vote on amendments to the bill. During this process, a committee can decide to report the bill with or without amendment, to table it (kill it), or to pass it out of committee without a vote.
Once a bill has passed the committee stage in both houses, it is forwarded to the Legislative Fiscal Office and Legislative Revenue Office to determine its fiscal impact. After the bills have been approved by both offices, they are sent back to their house of origin, where they go through a second reading. The bill can be amended during this stage, and a new printing is created to reflect these changes (engrossed bill). If the bill passes the House in its final form, it is sent to the Senate, where the same process takes place. If the bill is amended in the Senate, a conference committee made up of members from both chambers meets to resolve differences. The resulting bill is then signed by the President and delivered to NARA, where editors assign it a permanent public law number.