Introduction of bills: If the legislator wishes to file the bill, he or she will do this by signing the bill e-jacket and submitting it to the principal clerk of the legislator’s chamber. Under the Senate and House rules, when a bill is filed with the Principal Clerk’s Office it is given a number. In the House, filing constitutes introduction. On the next legislative day, the bill receives its first reading on the floor of the House. In the Senate, the bill’s presentation to the Senate, normally the next legislative day after filing, is its introduction. Bills are referred to committees after introduction. The bill number, date of introduction, and committee referral are entered into the Bill Status system and published to the General Assembly website. Following introduction first edition of the bill is created and denominated by a large, bolded figure “1” in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. In addition to electronic copies of bills that are available on the General Assembly’s website, paper copies are available upon request from the Printed Bills Office in Room 1431 of the Legislative Building.

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