Sorting & Field Controls
What this helps you do: Control how bills are ordered and which fields appear so your reports are clean, readable, and purpose-built.
Before you start
You must be creating or editing a Bill report.
How it works
Sorting and field controls live in Content & Layout.
They determine:
The order bills appear in
Which bill and tracking fields are shown
Whether empty fields are hidden or displayed
These settings affect presentation only, not which bills are included.
Sorting options
You can sort bills by several fields, depending on state and data availability.
Common sorting options
Bill number
Priority
Position
Introduction date
Latest action date
Tennessee-specific sorting
Tennessee reports may include options to sort by:
House bill number
Senate companion bill number
This is useful when tracking companion legislation across chambers.
Choosing which fields appear
Use field toggles to control which data is included in the report.
Bill data fields may include:
Title
Summary
Status / progress
Sponsors
Committees
Key dates
Tracking data fields may include:
Priority
Position
Assignee
Labels
Groups
Only fields you select appear in the output.
Omit empty fields
Omit empty fields is enabled by default.
When on:
Fields with no data are hidden
Reports are shorter and easier to read
When off:
All selected fields appear
Empty values show as blank placeholders
When to turn this off
You want a consistent template across reports
You need to highlight missing data
How sorting and fields work together
Sorting controls order.
Field selection controls visibility.
For example:
Sort by Priority
Show Title, Summary, Priority, Assignee
Omit empty fields
Results in a focused, executive-friendly report.
Tips
Start with fewer fields and add only what’s needed.
Use Omit empty fields for client-facing reports.
Revisit sorting when reports feel hard to scan.
Common questions
Does sorting change bill inclusion?
No. Sorting only affects order.
Why don’t I see some sorting options?
Available options depend on state and data coverage.
Can I change sorting after saving a report?
Yes. Sorting and field settings can be updated at any time.