With a single exception, bills can be introduced only by legislators or by standing committees of the Senate and Assembly. That exception is the Executive Budget, which is submitted directly by the Governor. On introduction in the Senate, a bill goes to the Introduction and Revision Office, where it is examined and corrected, given a number, sent to the appropriate standing committee, entered into the Senate computer, deemed to have had its first and second readings and printed. Just as we engage specialists for specialized problems such as legal or medical advise, so does the Senate engage specialists to study legislation. A committee agenda is issued each week listing the bills and issues each Senate committee will handle the following week.
Committees often hold public hearings on bills to gather the widest possible range of opinion.
The committee stage is the second point at which the citizen s contribution is important. An expression of opinion on a proposed bill can be sent directly to the committee chairman, or it can be sent to your local Senator for relay to the committee members. The committee system acts as a funnel through which the large number of bills introduced each session must pass before they can be considered. And the system also acts as a sieve to sift out undesirable or unworkable ideas. After consideration, the committee may report the bill to the full Senate for consideration, it may amend the bill, or it may reject it.