Before you start

You must be creating or editing a Bill report.

How it works

Bill filters determine which bills appear in your report.
Filters stack together, so each additional filter further narrows results.

Most users start with Groups, then layer in other filters as needed.

Groups

Groups are the fastest way to narrow bill reports.

Groups limit the report to only bills your team has already organized by:

• Client

• Project

• Topic

• Priority list

Use Groups when you want to:

• Create client-specific bill reports

• Track priority or watchlist bills

• Reuse the same report week over week

Keywords

The Keywords filter searches bill titles and bill text.

Use keywords to surface bills by:

• Topic (e.g., “telehealth,” “tax credit”)

• Policy area

• Specific phrases or terms

Tips for keywords

• Keywords are best used with groups, not instead of them

• Use broad terms first, then refine if needed

• Avoid long or overly specific phrases unless required

Session years

Session years limit bills to specific legislative sessions.

How this works

• Each state defines its own session structure

• Some states have two-year sessions (e.g., Tennessee, California)

In two-year sessions, selecting either year currently includes the full session range.

When to use session years

• Focus on the current session

• Exclude older, inactive bills

• Separate historical work from current tracking

Active vs inactive bills

This filter controls whether the report includes:

• Active bills – currently live or moving

• Inactive bills – prior-session, dead, or no-longer-moving bills

Common use cases

• Weekly status updates → Active only

• Historical reviews or audits → Include inactive

How these filters work together

Filters are cumulative.

For example:

• Groups: Client A – Priority

• Keywords: “budget”

• Active only: On

Results in:

Active budget-related bills in Client A’s priority group

If a bill doesn’t meet all selected filters, it won’t appear.

Tips

• Start with Groups, then add keywords or session filters.

• If your report looks empty, check:

  • Session years

  • Active vs inactive setting

  • Group selection

• Avoid stacking too many filters at once—add them incrementally.

Common questions

Why did bills disappear when I added a keyword?
Keywords narrow results further; not all grouped bills contain that term.

Why do session years behave the same in two-year states?
The system currently checks the session’s start and end range, not individual calendar years.

Should I always filter to active bills?
For most ongoing tracking, yes. Include inactive bills only when you need historical context.