Types of legislation and resolutions
What is the difference between a bill and a joint resolution? A joint resolution and concurrent resolution? It can be quite difficult to decipher which of these matter to you and which just affect the way Congress does business in the chamber
For example, did you know that the House and Senate has to vote on whether or not they should end a particular daily session or to call for recess? These are given a name and number just like any other piece of legislation! Here are the definitions and some examples of the four different types. All of them exist in both the House and the Senate. Bills are the most common forms of proposals for laws. A number preceded by HR (for House of Representatives) or S (for Senate) designates a measure as a bill (ex. S.1 or HR. 912).
It becomes law if passed by both the House and Senate, and approved by the President.
Joint resolutions
Joint resolutions go through the same process as bills. They are used to amend the Constitution, declare war, and to appropriate. When used to amend the Constitution, they must also be approved by 3/4 of the states. Some joint resolutions are used as Congress’s way of showing disapproval of a rule submitted by a department in the executive branch. For example, HJ Res 18, which was introduced on Jan 15, 2009, is being used to show disapproval of a rule submitted by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce under the United States Code, relating to interagency cooperation under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. An example of a joint resolution being used to propose a Constitutional amendment is H.J. Res 13. Introduced on Jan 8, 2009, this joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution to limit the amounts of contributions and expenditures that may be made in connection with campaigns for election to public office. A proposal to amend the Constitution is also being made in the Senate through S.J. Res. 4, which would abolish the electoral college and provide for the direct popular election of the President and Vice President. Concurrent Resolutions do not become laws and are simply a way for both houses of Congress to take action or express opinion. They affect the functioning of Congress itself by requesting a call for recess, a joint session of Congress, creating a temporary joint committee (usually used in cases where the Senate and the House have to iron out any differences they may have in a bill regarding the same issue before it is sent to the President for approval), and more. Some concurrent resolutions that have recently been brought up by the House are being used to authorize Capitol Building property for particular events. They may also call on the President to do something. For example, H. Con. Res. 36, which was introduced on February 3, calls on the President as well as US allies to engage with officials from the Iranian government at every opportunity in order to urge them to fulfill their promises to assist the family of Robert Levinson, an American private detective and former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in March 2007. A similar one was introduced in the Senate as well. Concurrent resolutions can also be used to commemorate anniversaries as in S.Con.Res5, which would commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts in Hawaii. Another concurrent resolution was introduced in the Senate to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Concurrent resolutions are also used to provide for the counting of electoral votes in January 2009 to confirm the winner of November's Presidential election. Resolutions, also called “simple resolutions” are not proposals for laws, but simply statements of opinion made by Congress on various matters. Some of these are used to congratulate sports stars for specific awards or teams for winning national titles (ex. S. Res 27 congratulated the Pittsburgh Steelers on winning the Super Bowl). These resolutons can also commemorate the life and legacy of historical figures. For example, H. Res. 139 is commemorating the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln on the bicentennial of his birth.
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