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Legislative Definitions

• Appropriations Bills
  Appropriations bills fund each major department of government, and often one bill will include funding for several related departments. There are 13 appropriations bills that keep the government running and must be passed each year before October 1.
• Continuing Resolution
  If an appropriations bill has not passed by October 1, a temporary spending bill, or continuing resolution (CR), keeps the government running.
• Omnibus Bill
  If Congress fails to pass appropriations bills by October 1, and there is pressure to adjourn, a number of major spending bills are grouped into one large bill referred to as an omnibus bill.
• Filibuster
  When one or several senators refuse to relinquish the floor, they are using the filibuster as a tactic to delay or defeat legislation. A filibuster can be ended through compromise or by invoking cloture.
• Cloture
  A cloture petition is voted on by the Senate to end a filibuster, proceed to the bill, or allow amendments only relevant to the bill. A three-fifths majority or 60 senators are needed to attain cloture.
• Mark up
  When a committee considers a bill, members analyze it line by line. This process is called marking up the bill.
• Reauthorization of a Bill
  The passage of an original act is often approved for a certain number of years. After the time is up for the original bill, Congress will reexamine the bill and make changes or reauthorize the bill to reflect new issues of concern.
• Conference Committee
  Legislation must pass both the House and the Senate in identical form before it is sent to the President for signature or veto. When there are differences, the legislation is referred to a conference committee, which is made up of members chosen from relevant House and Senate committees.