Glossary

This guide defines key terms used throughout the platform to help you understand legislative concepts and product features.

Bill and Legislative Terms

Bill Status

The following terms describe a bill's status as it moves through the legislative process.

  • Filed: A bill has been formally submitted for consideration but may not yet be publicly introduced.

  • Introduced. The bill has been officially presented in a legislative chamber and assigned a number.

  • Engrossed: A version of the bill that has passed one chamber and includes adopted amendments from that chamber.

  • Enrolled: The final version of the bill passed by both chambers and sent to the governor for action.

  • Passed: The bill has been approved by the legislature (one chamber or both, depending on context).

  • Vetoed: The governor has rejected the bill and prevented it from becoming law (unless overridden).

  • Pending: The bill is active and still moving through the legislative process.

  • Override: The legislature has voted to overturn a governor’s veto, allowing the bill to become law.

  • Chaptered: The bill has been signed into law and assigned a chapter number (common in states like California and New York).

  • Refer: The bill has been assigned or referred to a committee for review.

  • Report Pass: A committee has reviewed the bill and recommended it advance for further consideration.

  • Report DNP (Do Not Pass): A committee has reviewed the bill and recommended it not advance.

  • Draft: The bill exists in draft form and has not yet been formally introduced.

Bill Types

Bills are categorized by type, which typically indicates their chamber of origin and purpose.

  • Senate Bill: A bill introduced in the Senate.

  • House Bill: A bill introduced in the House of Representatives (or Assembly in some states).

  • House Resolution: A measure used for procedural matters or statements that typically apply only to the House.

  • Senate Resolution: A procedural or symbolic measure used only within the Senate.

  • House Concurrent Resolution: A measure that must be adopted by both chambers but does not go to the governor and does not create law.

  • Senate Concurrent Resolution: A concurrent resolution introduced in the Senate and adopted by both chambers.

  • Senate Joint Resolution: A measure passed by both chambers that may go to the governor or be used for constitutional amendments (varies by state).

  • House Joint Resolution: A joint resolution originating in the House, often used for constitutional amendments or special legislative actions.

Note: In some states, including California, Nevada, New York, Wisconsin, and New Jersey, the House is referred to as the Assembly. In these states, you will see terms like Assembly Bill instead of House Bill.

Committee Types

Committees are organized into several types:

  • House: A committee made up of members from the House or Assembly only.

  • Senate: A committee composed solely of senators.

  • Joint: A committee that includes members from both legislative chambers.

  • Interim: A committee that meets between legislative sessions, often focused on research, oversight, or issue development.

Event Types

Legislative events are categorized by their purpose.

  • Hearing: A public meeting where legislators receive testimony, debate a bill, and gather input from stakeholders.

  • Executive Session: A committee meeting where members discuss and vote on legislation, often without public testimony.

  • Markup Session: A working session where legislators review and amend bill language before voting.

Political Parties

The following political parties are identified for legislators:

  • Democratic: Member of the Democratic Party.

  • Republican: Member of the Republican Party.

  • Independent: Not formally affiliated with a major political party.

  • Green Party: Member of the Green Party.

  • Libertarian: Member of the Libertarian Party.

  • Nonpartisan: No party affiliation (common in some state legislatures).

Product Terminology

Report Types

When creating a report, you can choose between two types.

  • Dynamic Report: Automatically includes bills that match a set of filters you define. This report stays up-to-date as new bills match your criteria.

  • Manual Report: Includes only the specific bills you manually select for the report and does not update automatically.

Keyword Search Types

You can search for information using three different methods.

  • Simple Search: Use a single search bar to find information by bill number, keyword, legislator name, or state prefix.

  • Advanced Search: Build a structured search by specifying terms that must appear (all of these words), optional terms (any of these words), and exclusions (none of these words).

  • Query Search: Construct a detailed search using operators like AND, OR, and NOT, as well as exact-match quotes and proximity searches (e.g., "state affairs"~5).

Bill Tags

You can apply tags to bills to organize and prioritize your work.

Position

Indicate your organization's stance on a bill.

  • Support — You favor passage of the bill.

  • Oppose — You are against the bill.

  • Amend — You support the bill with changes.

  • Neutral — No formal position.

  • Watch — Monitoring without taking a public stance.

Priority

Set a priority level for a bill based on importance.

  • High — Requires immediate attention or action.

  • Medium — Important but not urgent.

  • Low — Informational or low impact.

  • Dead — No longer advancing (e.g., failed, vetoed without override, or session ended).