When a bill is introduced, the Speaker of the House or Senate Majority Leader, depending on where the legislation originates, will then refer it to a standing committee for further study and action. Standing committees are composed of Members of Congress from both political parties and have a large professional staff with policy expertise. These permanent committees study and review matters relating to legislative proposals and produce bills. Committees and subcommittees, therefore, are empowered to study issues and develop solutions before reporting a bill to the floor for debate and vote. It is in committees that bills are drafted and redrafted, information from interested parties is gathered, and the merits of particular policy positions are debated and negotiated.
Committees meet regularly throughout the week and attend to matters on the committee calendar.
Committees may refer its pending bills to its subcommittees for further study and instruct it to report its findings to the full committee. Subcommittees are more prevalent in the House of Representatives because its full committee memberships are too large to properly consider legislation. If you have ever coordinated activities with your friends, you know that a group of three is easier to work with than a group of ten. The same idea works in committees. By comparison, the Senate Finance Committee had only 20 Senators.