Agreement Between the House and Senate
Before a bill can be forwarded to the president, the House and Senate versions must be identical. Most of the time, this is not an issue, because the two chambers usually coordinate the wording of the legislation throughout the process. About a quarter of the time, however, the House and Senate bills contain different provisions. On these occasions, a conference committee is needed to reconcile the gaps.
In both bodies, members from the committee that wrote the bill tend to look favorably upon conference committees because it allows them an opportunity to reinsert their findings into the final bill. It's important to note, however, that new provisions can't be added and old provisions can't be removed during the conference committee.
During conference committees, representatives from both chambers work to iron out the language differences between the two bills. The chairman and ranking minority member of the committee with jurisdiction select the conferees from their respective chambers. The number of conferees depends on the size and complexity of the two bills. The ratio of Republicans and Democrats chosen as conferees usually mirrors the ratio between the two parties in the House and Senate.
Once the conferees have come to agreement over a compromise bill, it is presented to and voted on by both chambers. On the rare occasions when one or both bodies reject the new bill, another conference can be convened, or the bill can be shelved. If the bill is passed by both chambers, it is sent to the president.
