A Civics Lesson on Conference Committees
Civics Lesson: Conference Committees, Amendments to Amendments, Opposing Conferees, and the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" Part 1: The Basics of Conference Committees What is a Conference Committee? A conference committee is a temporary, bipartisan group of U.S. House and Senate members formed to resolve differences between the two chambers’ versions of a bill. The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 7) requires both chambers to pass identical legislation before it can be sent to the President to become law. When the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill due to amendments or differing priorities, a conference committee negotiates a single,…