Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Updated February 2, 2021

Congressional Research Service

https://crsreports.congress.gov

R44195
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service

Summary

Authoring and introducing legislation is fundamental to the task of representing voters as a U.S. 

Senator. In fact, part of what makes the American political process unique is that it affords all 

Senators an ability to propose their own ideas for chamber consideration. By comparison, most 

other democratic governments around the world rely on an executive official, often called a 

premier, chancellor, or prime minister, to originate and submit policy proposals for discussion and 

enactment by the legislature. Legislators serving in other countries generally lack the power to 

initiate legislative proposals of their own.

In the American political system, ideas and recommendations for legislation come from a wide 

variety of sources. Any number of individuals, groups, or entities may participate in drafting bills 

and resolutions, but only Senators may formally introduce legislation in the Senate, and they may 

do so for any reason.

When a Senator has determined that a bill or resolution is ready for introduction, it can be 

delivered to the bill clerk’s desk on the chamber floor when the Senate is in session. The sponsor

must sign the measure and may attach the names of any original cosponsors on a separate form. 

Cosponsors do not sign the bill. There is no Senate rule that introduced bills and resolutions must 

be prepared by the Senate Office of the Legislative Counsel, but the office plays an important role 

by providing Senators and staff, at their request, with drafts of legislation. Use of the office by 

Senators and staff is nearly universal.

Once introduced, the Senate Parliamentarian, acting on behalf of the presiding officer, refers 

legislation to committees based primarily on how its contents align with the subject matter 

jurisdictions of committees established in Senate Rule XXV. Referral to multiple committees is 

rare in the Senate due to Senate Rule XVII, which states that a measure is referred to the 

committee with “jurisdiction over the subject matter which predominates in such proposed 

legislation.”

This report is intended to assist Senators and staff in preparing legislation for introduction. Its 

contents address essential elements of the process, including bill drafting, the mechanics of 

introduction, and the roles played by key Senate offices involved in the drafting, submission, and 

referral of legislation. Statistics on introduced bills and resolutions are presented in the final 

section to illustrate patterns of introduction in recent Congresses.
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service

Contents

Developing Ideas for Legislation .......................................................................................1

Drafting Legislation ........................................................................................................3

Seeking Cosponsors........................................................................................................3

Introducing a Bill or Resolution ........................................................................................4

Committee Referral.........................................................................................................4

Statistics on Introduced Measures......................................................................................5

Tables

Table 1. Statistics on Introduced Measures, 1973-2020 .........................................................6

Contacts

Author Information .........................................................................................................7

Acknowledgments...........................................................................................................7
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service 1

Developing Ideas for Legislation

“Ideas can come from anywhere,” a scholar of American politics once wrote.1 To be sure, ideas 

and recommendations for legislation come from a wide variety of sources, such as individual 

Senators; committees and other Senate working groups; legislative staff; party and chamber 

leaders; executive branch agencies and the White House; states and localities; members of the 

media; citizens; and interest groups. Any or all of these individuals or entities may participate in 

drafting legislation, but only a Senator may formally introduce legislation in the Senate. Some 

common considerations taken into account when drafting a bill include the following:

 What problem does the bill seek to address? Understanding the source of a 

problem is necessary in order to properly address it. An abundance of 

information is available to Senators in the form of reports, studies, and 

presentations offered by a wide range of individuals, groups, and organizations, 

including CRS. Soliciting expert testimony in the context of a committee hearing 

is another common method by which the Senate gathers relevant information for 

use in policymaking.2

 To what committee is it likely to be referred? Committee referral can matter 

because one committee might be especially receptive to the proposed legislation 

in comparison to another committee. Senators may also prefer that their bill be 

referred to a committee on which they serve in order to ensure continued 

involvement at the committee stage of proceedings.

 Will the bill attract cosponsors? Cosponsorship conveys a Senator’s support for 

a measure, so bills that attract many cosponsors could be seen as enjoying broad 

support within the chamber. A measure with many cosponsors, especially if they 

include committee and party leaders, could encourage the relevant committee 

chair to take some action on the legislation, such as hold hearings on it.

 Does it have bipartisan appeal? Senate rules tend to favor deliberation over 

decision, so building a coalition of support for a proposal can take time. With few 

limits on Senate debate, reaching a final vote on legislation often requires a 

supermajority of 60 Senators to bring debate to a close, so some amount of 

bipartisan cooperation usually is needed to secure final passage.3 Measures that 

are limited in scope but have broad bipartisan appeal may be passed (or 

“cleared”) by unanimous consent with minimal floor time expended. The 

Senate’s clearance system (or “hotline”) can facilitate swift action on 

 

1

John Kingdon, Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1984), p. 75. 

Kingdon’s account of the policymaking process offers insights into why some ideas but not others make their way into 

law. See also CRS Report RS21169, Sources of Legislative Proposals: A Descriptive Introduction, by Judy Schneider.

2 For information on how to prepare for a committee hearing, see CRS Report 98-489, Senate Committee Hearings: 

Preparation, by Valerie Heitshusen.

3 Senate Rule XXII (cloture) provides the only formal mechanism (absent unanimous consent) to end debate on an 

issue and bring it to a vote. If 60 or more Senators (assuming no more than one vacancy) vote to invoke cloture on a 

bill, then consideration is capped at 30 additional hours and a final vote is scheduled to take place at the conclusion of 

that time. Information on the operation of cloture can be found in CRS Report 98-425, Invoking Cloture in the Senate, 

by Christopher M. Davis. On Senate floor procedures more generally, see CRS Report 96-548, The Legislative Process 

on the Senate Floor: An Introduction, by Valerie Heitshusen.
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service 2

noncontroversial proposals, but this pathway can be blocked by even a single 

objection.

4

 What are the budgetary implications? The Senate places a number of 

restrictions on legislation with budgetary consequences. For instance, if a 

proposal adds to the federal deficit, it may be subject to a point of order on the 

chamber floor for violating congressional budget rules (many of which are 

codified in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974).5 Support for a measure may 

also hinge on how its costs are paid for. Senators may agree about the merits of a 

bill but disagree with how its provisions are funded.

 Should companion legislation be introduced in the House? To become law, a 

bill or joint resolution must pass both houses of Congress in identical form (with

the same text and bill number) and be signed by the President.6 For this reason, 

Senate sponsors sometimes encourage their allies in the House to introduce 

identical or similarly worded legislation into that body to encourage bicameral 

consideration.7 Companion bills might also attract wider public and Member 

attention to the issues addressed in the legislation.

 Is the measure best introduced at the beginning, in the middle, or toward the 

end of a Congress? Timing the introduction of a measure can be important. 

Comprehensive legislation is likely to require a great deal of time to work 

through, both in committee and on the floor. An early introduction will give the 

Senate more time to examine the measure’s provisions. Advantage might also be 

gained by being the first to address an issue. Those who move first tend to attract 

media attention and may be seen by their colleagues as exercising leadership in 

that particular policy area. 

 Can benefit be gained by a delayed introduction? Strategic delay is another 

option. This approach might provide more time for an individual or committee to 

study the issue and build support for a preferred solution. To be sure, many bills 

do not follow a linear (or “regular order”) legislative process—introduction, 

consideration in committee, and arrival on the floor for further debate and 

amendment, with committee and floor proceedings on the bill taking place in the 

House as well.

8 For example, a legislative proposal that had languished in 

committee might suddenly be taken up in the Senate because it deals with an 

unfolding crisis or emergency.

 

4 The “hotline” is a special telephone and email system that connects Senate offices to the majority or minority 

cloakrooms. Senate leaders use the hotline to transmit notifications and unanimous consent requests regarding the 

Senate’s legislative agenda and schedule.

5 For information on the enforcement of budget rules, see CRS Report 97-865, Points of Order in the Congressional 

Budget Process, by James V. Saturno. For an overview of the federal budget process, see CRS Report R46240, 

Introduction to the Federal Budget Process, by James V. Saturno.

6 Only bills and joint resolutions can make or change law, while simple and concurrent resolutions are used to address 

matters that are internal to one or both chambers of Congress. For examples of how each is used, see CRS Report 

R46603, Bills, Resolutions, Nominations, and Treaties: Characteristics and Examples of Use, by Jane A. Hudiburg. 

7 For information on methods to resolve bicameral differences, see CRS Report 98-696, Resolving Legislative 

Differences in Congress: Conference Committees and Amendments Between the Houses, by Elizabeth Rybicki.

8 For different perspectives of what might constitute “regular order” lawmaking, see CRS Report R46597, The 

“Regular Order”: A Perspective, by Walter J. Oleszek.
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service 3

Drafting Legislation

There is no Senate rule that requires introduced bills and resolutions to be prepared by the Office 

of the Legislative Counsel. Senators can receive drafts of bills from executive officials, interest 

groups, and others. Still, the office plays an important role by providing Senators and staff, at 

their request, with drafts of legislation. Use of the office by Senators and staff is nearly universal. 

Its staff attorneys are experts in legislative drafting, and they focus almost exclusively on policy 

issues within their areas of expertise. Legislative attorneys are often assigned to serve a specific 

committee as a kind of nonpartisan, shared staff. They work closely with committee members and 

staff to ensure that a bill’s language and form match the intent of its sponsor and adhere to 

drafting rules and linguistic traditions of the Senate.

Several drafts may be required before a measure is ready for formal introduction. Those drafting 

legislation may seek assistance from the Office of Legislative Counsel at any stage. All 

communications with the office are treated as confidential. The office is located in Room 668 of 

the Dirksen Senate Office Building and can be reached at extension 4-6461 or by sending an 

email request to Receptionist@slc.senate.gov.9

The number of requests to draft bills and amendments has nearly doubled over the past 10 years, 

from roughly 20,000 requests handled by the office during the 109th Congress (2005-2006) to 

more than 40,000 in more recent congresses. To guide the management of its workload, the 

Senate Committee on Rules and Administration has established a system for prioritizing requests 

received by the office. Measures currently in conference committee receive the highest priority, 

followed by amendments to measures pending on the Senate floor. Measures being considered in 

committee are prioritized next, followed by proposals drafted at the request of individual 

Senators. Within each of these categories, priority is given to requests in the order they are 

received. Given the volume of its work, it is advisable to give the office as much advance notice 

as possible when making a drafting request. Depending on the nature of the policy area, the 

workload of the office, and other factors, it can take substantial time to draft legislation, 

especially if it addresses complex issues or involves multiple subject areas. 10

Seeking Cosponsors

When Senators introduce a measure, they commonly attach a form listing the names of 

cosponsors.11 Cosponsorship signifies a Senator’s support for the proposal. Prior to its 

introduction, Senators may cosponsor a measure by contacting the sponsor of the legislation and 

requesting that their names be added in support of the bill or resolution. Initial (or “original”) 

cosponsors can be added until the measure is presented to the bill clerk in the Senate chamber. 

Thereafter, unanimous consent is required to include additional cosponsors on the measure. There 

is no limit on the number of cosponsors a measure may attract. Cosponsors do not sign the bill, 

but the sponsor is required to.

 

9 Additional information on the Office of Legislative Counsel and the drafting services it provides can be found in CRS 

Report RS20856, Office of Legislative Counsel: Senate, by Matthew E. Glassman, as well as on the office’s website, at 

http://www.slc.senate.gov/.

10 Guidelines for expediting requests for drafting assistance can be found on Webster, the Senate’sinternal website, at 

http://webster.senate.gov. Only Senate offices have access to Webster.

11 Cosponsorship forms are available for download in portable document format (PDF) at http://webster.senate.gov.
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service 4

A “Dear Colleague” letter sent to most or all Senators is a common technique for informing 

Senators of the pending introduction of a bill or resolution, and for soliciting support. Typically, 

these letters briefly state the issue the measure addresses, the measure’s significant features, and

an appeal to become a cosponsor. These letters almost always include the name and telephone 

number of a staff aide to contact about cosponsoring the bill.12

Introducing a Bill or Resolution

At the beginning of each new Congress, the Senate traditionally adopts a standing order allowing 

Senators to introduce measures at any time the chamber is in session by presenting them to the 

bill clerk seated at the desk on the Senate floor.

13 A measure must be signed by the sponsoring 

Senator in the top right hand corner before it can be introduced. Printing should be one-sided, and 

staff contact information should be written on the back of the last page of the bill. There is no 

limit on the number of measures a Senator may introduce, and Senators may propose legislation 

for any reason. Between 1973 and 2020, Senators introduced an average of about 40 bills and 

resolutions per Congress.14 Statistics on introduced bills and resolutions are provided in Table 1.

Senators who wish to make a statement on the measure may deliver their remarks during morning 

business (which is common) or at another point during the day, or they may ask unanimous 

consent to insert their statement in the Congressional Record.

15 These statements appear in the 

“Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions” section. By unanimous consent, the text 

of the measure is also typically printed in the Record.

Senators and staff may also consider devising an attention-grabbing title for their legislation, such 

as the USA-Patriot Act (“Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools 

Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism”). Such titles might attract media attention and 

notice by other lawmakers.

Although rare, a Senator may object to the introduction of a bill or joint resolution. If objection is 

heard, the bill may be introduced on the following legislative day (or anytime thereafter) as a 

matter of right under paragraph 1 of Rule XIV.

Committee Referral

Referral decisions are made by the Senate Parliamentarian acting on behalf of the presiding 

officer. Referral occurs primarily on the basis of committee jurisdictions set forth in Senate Rule 

 

12 For further information on these practices, see CRS Report 98-279, Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of Senate Bills, 

by Mark J. Oleszek.

13 Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 167 (January 3, 2021), S8. Most measures are introduced in this fashion. 

Senators may also introduce measures from the floor as part of “morning business” under Senate Rule VII. In practice, 

however, morning business seldom occurs as provided in Rule VII. Instead, on most days, the Senate arranges by 

unanimous consent a period for transacting routine morning business to occur at some later point.

14 This number includes bills (S.), joint resolutions (S.J.Res.), concurrent resolutions (S.Con.Res.), and simple 

resolutions (S.Res.).

15 Morning business in this context refers to the common practice of dedicating a period of time during the day for 

Senators to speak on the floor on any topic for up to 10 minutes. When Senators and staff refer to “morning business,” 

it is usually in this context. Senators recognized on the floor may also request unanimous consent to speak “as if in 

morning business,” which is to say, on a topic of their choosing.
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service 5

XXV. Under the provisions of Senate Rule XVII, a measure is referred to the committee with 

“jurisdiction over the subject matter which predominates in such proposed legislation.”

The word “predominates” in Rule XVII implies a majority standard by which subject matter is 

determined, which at times can arouse inter-committee disagreements as only a single subject can 

be considered predominant. Multiple referral occurs only occasionally in the Senate on account of 

Rule XVII, and in almost all cases is made by unanimous consent or standing order.

16 When 

referring a measure to committee, the Parliamentarian might begin by asking two related 

questions: “What is this measure mainly about?” and “What committee has subject matter 

jurisdiction that corresponds most closely to the measure’s main subject?”

Senate Rule XIV requires that all bills and resolutions be read twice before they are referred to 

committee, but rarely is this requirement strictly adhered to.17 Measures are typically referred 

immediately if there is no objection, and this is what occurs in the large majority of cases. (House 

bills and resolutions messaged to the Senate are often referred immediately as well.) A procedure 

in Rule XIV allows an introduced (or House-received) bill or joint resolution to be placed directly 

on the calendar of business without first being referred to a standing committee.18

Statistics on Introduced Measures

The number of bills and resolutions introduced in the Senate fluctuates over time as Table 1

shows. There is little reason to expect that the demand for legislation would stay constant over 

this period; new issues arise, those that exist are dealt with, and old issues fade away. The 116th

Congress (2019-2020) reached a high point with 6,028 introductions, while the 104th Congress 

(1995-1996) falls at the lower end of recent congresses with 2,628 introduced bills and 

resolutions.

Most introduced measures are bills, as shown in the second column of Table 1. Only bills and 

joint resolutions can make or change law; concurrent and simple resolutions are used primarily to 

address internal matters of one or both chambers. For instance, a concurrent resolution is used to 

organize a joint session of Congress to receive the President’s State of the Union address. A 

simple resolution would be appropriate to address Senate-related matters, such as proposals to 

amend the standing rules of the chamber. Legislation to honor or celebrate an individual, group, 

or event may also be drafted as a simple or concurrent resolution.

Most measures are introduced by individual Senators, but Senate committees may also report an 

“original” bill for chamber consideration. As Senate Rule XXV states, standing committees have 

“leave to report by bill or otherwise on matters within their respective jurisdictions.” This means 

that committees do not have to wait for measures to be referred to them in order to act. The 

relevant committee chair is generally considered the sponsor in these instances, although the 

measure is perhaps best understood as a product that incorporates views and input from other 

committee members as well. Original bills may not have cosponsors.

 

16 Section 3(a) of Senate Rule XVII allows a measure to be referred t o multiple committees by joint motion of the 

majority and minority leaders (or their designees), but this motion seems to have never been used.

17 The first and second readings occur on the title of a measure; legislative text is not read in full unless the Senate 

orders otherwise.

18 For more information on Senate Rule XIV, see CRS Report RS22309, Senate Rule XIV Procedure for Placing 

Measures Directly on the Senate Calendar, by Christopher M. Davis. On the Senate’s calendar of Business, or 

legislative calendar, see CRS Report 98-429, The Senate’s Calendar of Business, coordinated by Elizabeth Rybicki.
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service 6

Table 1. Statistics on Introduced Measures, 1973-2020

Senate (Years)

Number of 

Introductions

Bills 

Introduced

Joint 

Resolutions 

Introduced

Concurrent 

Resolutions 

Introduced

Simple 

Resolutions 

Introduced

Introductions 

per Senator

93rd (1973-74) 4,340 3,552 263 125 400 43

94th (1975-76) 4,234 3,291 215 212 516 42

95th (1977-78) 3,861 3,017 169 115 560 39

96th (1979-80) 3,620 2,728 214 139 539 36

97th (1981-82) 3,599 2,691 272 135 501 36

98th (1983-84) 3,720 2,753 358 154 455 37

99th (1985-86) 3,778 2,692 431 175 480 38

100th (1987-88) 3,818 2,756 395 170 497 38

101st (1989-90) 4,089 3,184 388 159 358 41

102nd (1991-92) 4,185 3,330 346 143 366 42

103rd (1993-94) 3,121 2,515 232 80 294 31

104th (1995-96) 2,628 2,165 65 74 324 26

105th (1997-98) 3,123 2,619 60 130 314 31

106th (1999-00) 3,843 3,233 56 162 392 38

107th (2001-02) 3,734 3,153 53 160 368 37

108th (2003-04) 3,679 2,998 42 152 487 37

109th (2005-06) 4,869 4,071 41 123 634 49

110th (2007-08) 4,582 3,700 46 107 729 46

111th (2009-10) 4,846 4,019 42 78 707 48

112th (2011-12) 4,426 3,680 51 65 630 44

113th (2013-14) 3,680 2,988 47 44 601 37

114th (2015-16) 4,274 3,533 41 58 642 43

115th (2017-18) 4,680 3.805 69 59 747 47

116th (2019-20) 6,028 5,086 82 52 808 60

Senate Average 4,032 3,073 166 120 515 40

Source: Congress.gov

Notes: The column “Number of Introductions” includes all public bills (S.), joint resolutions (S.J.Res.), 

concurrent resolutions (S.Con.Res.), and simple resolutions (S.Res.) introduced in the Senate during each twoyear period. This includes measures that committees reported as original bills. “Introductions per Senator” was 

calculated by dividing the number of introductions during each period by the membership of the Senate. On this 

measure, committee chairs tend to be more frequent sponsors than non-chairs in part because original bills 

produced by Senate committees and reported to the full chamber are considered to be sponsored by the chair 

of the relevant committee.
Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Congressional Research Service R44195 · VERSION 5 · UPDATED 7

Author Information

Mark J. Oleszek

Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process

Acknowledgments

A short version of this report was originally prepared by former CRS Specialist Richard C. Sachs. 

Congressional clients may direct any inquiries to the current author.

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan 

shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and 

under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other 

than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in 

connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not 

subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in 

its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or 

material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to 

copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.