BILLS, Course of. Public bills are those which affect the interests of the people at large and private bills are those which affect the.in terests of a person or persons whether they be private individuals or corporations (see BILLS, PRIVATE). The term °bill° is applied to a pro posed law until it has passed through all its legislative stages and has been signed by the proper official, when it becomes an act or stat ute (see ACTS OF CONGRESS). In the United States, even after they have become law, some bills are popularly known by the name of the member or members of the legislative body in troducing them, as the McKinley Bill, or the Gorman-Wilson Bill, though the words bill, act and law are used interchangeably in designating them. The British government provides that the preparation of all public bills must be super vised by an expert, the clerk of the House of Commons, and even private bills must pass his scrutiny before introduction. In the United States House of Representatives, however, since there is no check on the right of an indi vidual member to introduce a bill on any con ceivable subject upon any legislative day, and since the form and scope of the bill are deter mined by its introducer, there is much laxity and variation in the methods pursued in the preparation of bills.
In the House, private bills are left in the clerk's box while public bills are left on the speaker's table; in the Senate, after a member is recognized he asks permission to introduce a bill, but unless the other members give unani mous consent (which, however, is seldom re fused) he must wait the customary period of one day. After bills have been introduced they are referred to the committees having jurisdic tion, and are then printed; when the committee reports they are placed upon the calendar in the order in which they are reported. The Senate has a single calendar and consideration is given to bills in order, but the House has three calendars: the private calendar, the Union calendar for money hills, and the House calendar for other public bills. Hence con sideration is not given to bills in the order in which they are reported but they are brought up either at the instance of the committee re porting them, or by unanimous consent, or by suspending the rules, or by adopting a special rule reported by the committee on rules. While three readings of a bill are required and the rule is followed technically, the committee sys tem has divested the rule of much of its sig nificance. By unanimous consent the first and second readings in the Senate take place before a bill is referred to the proper committee, but in the House a bill is first read by title and then in full when talcen up from the calendar for consideration. After finishing discussion of a bill on its second reading and disposing of suggested amendments, the final stage (if no objection be made) is entered upon, consisting of three operations, though only one vote is talcen: the order for engrossment, the third reading and final passage. When reading for
the third time it is customary to read by title only, though if a question be raised it must be of the entire engrossed bill; upon final passage the bill is engrossed, now by printing. After this has been done it is signed by the clerk or secretary and forwarded to the other house, in which it pursues the course of a bill originatinv therein. If it be passed by the second house without amendment, it is returned to the first house for enrolment on parchment, is next signed by the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate (upon report by the committee on enrolled bills that it has actually been enrolled) and then presented by this com mittee to the President for his signature or rejection by veto. But if the bill be amended by the second house it must again be considered by the first house, either to accept the amend ments (in which case the bill is enrolled) or to reject them and request the other house to appoint a conference committee. In this case the other house either eliminates its amend ments or insists and appoints such conunittee. After conferring, the committees report simul taneously to their respective houses and if the report be adopted by both the bill is enrolled as above. \Vhen bills have been signed by the President (but see VE•ro) they become Acts of Congress (q.v.) and are filed in the State De partment; and the house in which the bill originated is notified of the signature which fact is recorded in its journal.
In the main the State legislatures follow the proceedings of Congress but there are many minor variations. Some State Constitutions provide that no bill shall receive consideration for passage unless previously referred to and reported by a committee. Several States pro hibit the introduction of bills after a certain period of time has elapsed or within a certain number of days prior to the termination of the session; and two States forbid the passage of bills on the last day or two. The majority of the States require that a bill be read three times, usually in full on separate days, though this requirement may be overruled by unani mous consent or a special message from the governor. If the legislature fail to conform to the rules strictly, there is no outside power that can compel such observance. Consult Cushing, L. S., 'Law and Practice of Legis lative Assemblies) (1907) ; Hinds, A. C.. 'Rules of the House of Representatives) (1909) ; Reinsch, P. S., 'American Legislatures and Legislative Methods) (1907).