Can someone explain the process of the bill going to conference?

[Parker CA]

How many people are involved in the changes made in conference, and how long do they have?

After those changes are made, does the bill go back to the Senate to be voted on again before it lands on Mr. President's desk?

Thanks in advance.

[Jennicut]

1. From Wikipedia

Conference committees operate after the House and the Senate have passed different versions of a bill. Conference committees exist to negotiate a compromise bill that both houses can accept. Both houses of Congress must eventually pass the identical legislation for the bill to become law. (See U.S. Const., art I, sec. 7.) The two houses can reach that identical product through the process of amendments between Houses, where the House passes the Senate bill with a House amendment, or vice versa, but this process can be cumbersome. Thus most major bills become law through using a conference committee. (See Sen. Procedure, 449.)

After one house passes a bill, the second house will often pass the same bill, with an amendment representing the second house’s work product. The second house will then send a message between houses to the first house, asking the first house to concur with the second house’s amendment. If the first House does not like the second house’s amendment, then the first house can disagree with the amendment of the second house, request a conference, appoint conferees, and send a message to that effect to the second house. The second house then insists on its amendment, agrees to a conference, and appoints conferees.

Each House determines the number of conferees from its House. The number of conferees need not be equal from each side. In order to conclude its business, a majority of both House and Senate delegations to the conference must indicate their approval by signing the conference report.

The authority to appoint conferees lies in the entire House, and the entire Senate can appoint conferees by adopting a debatable motion to do so. (See Cong. Rec., 18 June 1968, 17,618–24; Sen. Procedure, 455.) But leadership have increasingly exercised authority in the appointment of conferees.

[eleny]

2. Conference Committee

Conference Committee

"Should a conference be requested and agreed to, the leadership in both Chambers appoints conferees to meet in conference. Conferees usually come from the Chamber's committee with jurisdiction over the original bill, although someone who successfully offered a major amendment to the bill also might be appointed a conferee. The conferees negotiate a resolution of the differences in the two versions of the bill, producing a compromise version that must be accepted without change by both Chambers before it can be sent to the President."

http://help.lexisnexis.com/tabula-rasa/congressional/stage6_ref-reference?lbu=US&locale=en_US&audience=all

[pinto]

3. House and Senate leaders decide on number and make up.

Timeline is open, yet I know in this case Dem leaders want a final bill for a vote by week's end. :shrug:

One good point on a conference compromise bill, is that when it comes to the floor for a vote - no more amendments. The vote is on only the bill, in and of itself.

[Parker CA]

4. So, basically if Pelosi and the Dem's want to add education and other cuts back in, there will be

enormous pressure from the pukes which will stall this even further? Is there a limit on the amount of time the bill can remain in conference? It seems that if Pelosi wants to add things back in, this is just going to spin the merry-go-round around a few more times and prevent a conference agreement. Based on that, the bill the Senate passed is likely to be what goes to Obama's desk. Am I missing something?

[jwirr]

5. Or if the conference is behind closed doors the pukes may just

quietly concede. That way it looks like they were fighting all the way.

[Parker CA]

6. That would be fantastic, but I have a feeling they want to burn out a bit more spectacularly.

Do you know how the decision is made as to whether it is closed-door or open?

[jwirr]

7. No I do not.

[AZ Criminal JD]

8. The conference is always closed door

[NYC_SKP]

9. If, on the other hand, Pelosi, Reid, et al do NOT try to amend the bill...

then the question is moot.

Both sides could therefore be "guilty" of delaying this thing.

AFAIK, education and other elements can be incorporated to the general budget.

Unless I'm wrong, I'd like to see this deal done.

:kick: