Agenda

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A Quick Refresher on How a Bill Becomes Law in Arizona
  1. Filing. The bill is filed for introduction. House bills are filed with the House Chief Clerk, Senate bills with the Senate Secretary. Bills can be filed only by members of the legislature. They can be co-sponsored by any number of members. The first-named sponsor is the principal sponsor and controls the bill.
  2. Introduction. The bill is "introduced." its reference title is formally read aloud in open session.
  3. Referral to committee. The bill is referred to standing committee(s). They are called "standing" committees because while their membership changes from legislature to legislature, the committees themselves remain in place. It requires a change in legislative rules to re-name or otherwise change these committees. House bills are referred to the House committee(s), Senate bills to Senate committee(s). In the House, the Speaker decides which bills go to which committees; in the Senate, the President decides. Sometimes the "second reading" of the bill is done at this time. It does not advance the bill except to committee.
  4. First-House hearings. The committee(s) to which the bill has been referred now meet, take testimony on the bill and make recommendations that the bill "do pass" as is, that it be changed ("do pass as amended"), or that it be held for later work.
  5. Committee reports. The committee recommendations are read aloud on the floor of the respective chambers. These are called "committee reports."
  6. Consent calendar. If no amendments have been recommended, the leadership can put the bill on the "consent calendar" by which the members consent not to debate the bill on the floor. If no member objects within a stated period to a bill skipping debate, the bill advanced directly to the vote (called "third reading") that will send it to the second house.
  7. Debate: The "COW." For a bill not on the consent calendar, the whole House (or whole Senate) meets to discuss the bill and any proposed amendments. This is universally called "COW" for "Committee of the Whole" (whole House or whole Senate). During COW, individual members can offer amendments directly; these are called floor amendments and are approved (or disapproved) by voice vote as they are offered. After all committee and floor amendments have been voted up or down, the bill's sponsor makes a motion that the COW recommend to the House (or Senate) that the bill be passed. The COW votes on this motion.
  8. COW votes. The COW votes mainly by unrecorded voice vote. If the COW voice vote is in favor of recommending the bill, the bill moves on. If the voice vote goes against the bill there is a roll-call vote. If the roll call goes against the bill, the bill technically reverts to its pre-COW status – available for debate – but in most cases it is in fact dead and is not brought up again.
  9. Formal vote. A bill that has been approved by COW (or bypassed COW via the consent calendar), now is reprinted with the COW-approved amendments, if any, incorporated into the original text. The new version is called the House (or Senate) engrossed bill, and it is scheduled for a formal vote, called "third reading." It is passes on third reading, it goes to the second house.
  10. Second house action. In the second house, steps 1 through 9 are repeated, this time with the bill going to the second house's committees, consent or COW calendar and third reading. If it passes the second house it comes back to the first house (its "house of origin").
  11. Unamended bill. If the second house did not amend it, the house of origin now sends the bill to the governor.
  12. Amended bill. If the second house did amend it, the house of origin votes on whether to accept the second-house version of the bill.
  13. Amendment accepted. If the house or origin accepts the second house's changes, it votes on the bill again ("final reading"), and if the bill passes, it goes to the governor. This second vote is required because both houses must approve exactly the same form of a bill before it can go to the governor.
  14. Amendment rejected. If the house of origin rejects the second house's changes, its presiding officer appoints a few members, usually including the principal sponsor, to a committee to meet with a like group from the second house appointed by that house's presiding officer and resolve the differences. This is called a Conference Committee.
  15. Conference Committee. Unless no agreement is reached and the conference committee is discharged, the conference committee will recommend approval of one of three versions of the bill: 1) As it passed its house of origin, 2) As it passed the second house, or – and this is common – 3) A new version with new amendments approved by the conference committee itself.
  16. Conference report action. The "Conference Report" (the conference committee's recommendation of which version of the bill should pass) is submitted to both houses. It must be approved by a voice vote in each house and then by a final vote in at least one house: if the conference committee recommended the House version, then the   Senate must vote a final time (because it never voted on the House version); if it recommends the Senate version then the House must vote a final time; and if it recommends a brand-new version, both houses must vote a final time.
  17. Bill to governor. After approval of the Conference Report and all required final votes, the bill is sent to the governor by its house of origin.
  18. Veto. If the governor disapproved of the bill, she can veto it and return it to the house of origin. The Legislature can override the veto by a special vote. The governor must either sign or veto the bill within a stated period of time or it will be filed into law without signature.
  19. Chapter number. After the bill is signed or filed into law it is given a final number by the Secretary of State called the chapter number, and thereafter it is referred to officially by its chapter number.
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