The legal profession is one where change happens at a very fast pace and new ideas are constantly emerging. One of these is law new, which is the idea of offering legal services in different ways. This can mean working with underserved communities or coming up with strategies that have never before been a part of standard legal practice.
Article By: John V. Sullivan, Parliamentarian, United States House of Representatives
A bill is the formal written form of an idea for legislation. It is given a number indicating its place in the legislative process – for example, H.R. 10 is the tenth bill introduced in this Congress and S. 42 is the forty-second bill introduced in the Senate. Public bills deal with matters that affect the general public and become laws, known as Acts of Congress, once approved by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. When a committee reports a bill to the full House or Senate, the staff of the committee writes a committee report on the bill. The committee report explains the purpose and scope of the bill and why the committee recommends its approval. It also identifies the text of existing laws that the bill will repeal or amend.