Items Approved or Denied by the HELP Committee

Due to the enormous volume and complexity of its work, the Senate segregates its tasks among 20 committees, 68 subcommittees, and 4 joint committees.  The chair of each committee and a majority of its members represent the majority party.  The chair primarily controls a committee’s business.  Each party assigns its own members to committees, and each committee distributes its members among its subcommittees.  The Senate places limits on the number and types of panels any one senator may serve on and chair.  The majority party controls most committee staff and resources, but a portion is shared with the minority. Over a two year period, several thousand bills and resolutions are referred to committees and only a small percentage of those are chosen for consideration.  The remainder of the ones not addressed often receive no further action.  The bills that committees report help to set the Senate’s agenda. 

When a committee or subcommittee approves a measure, the process includes the following four actions:  (1) relevant executive agencies are asked for written comments on the measure, (2) hearings are held to gather information and views from non-committee experts and at these committee hearings, the witnesses summarize submitted statements and then respond to questions from the senators, (3) a committee meets to perfect the measure through amendments, and non-committee members sometimes attempt to influence the language, and (4) when language is agreed upon, the committee sends the measure back to the full Senate, usually along with a written report describing its purposes and provisions (United States Senate, n.d.).

If a majority of the Senate vote to pass the legislation, then the bill is referred to the House of Representatives for consideration. If the measure originated in the House of Representatives, and is approved by the Senate without amendment, the bill is then presented to the President, who may sign the measure into law. Should the Senate and the House pass different versions of the same measure, the two Chambers appoint conferees to reconcile the differences in the proposed legislation. A majority of each Chamber must then approve the reconciled version of the legislation, called a conference report.

Once legislation is sent to the President for signature he can do one of two things: (1) sign the bill into law, or (2) veto the proposed legislation. Vetoed legislation is returned to the Congress. Should two-thirds of both the Senate and the House vote to override the presidential veto, the bill will then become law (United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, n.d.).