Conference committee
If a conference committee is requested, the presiding officers each appoint five
members from their respective chambers to serve on the committee. The senate rules
require that at least two of the senate conferees be members of the senate committee
from which the bill was reported. A conference committee’s charge is limited to
reconciling differences between the two chambers, and the committee, unless so directed,
may not alter, amend, or omit text that is not in disagreement. Nor may the committee
add text on any matter that is not in disagreement or that is not included in either
version of the bill in question. After the committee has met and reached an agreement,
a report is submitted to both chambers for approval or disapproval. The report must be
approved by at least three conferees from each chamber and must contain the text of the
bill as approved by the conference committee, a side-by-side analysis comparing the text
of the compromise bill to both the house and the senate versions, and the signatures of
those members of the conference committee who approved the report. A conference committee
report is not subject to amendment but must be accepted or rejected in its entirety.
Should the proposed compromise remain unacceptable to either chamber, it may be returned
to the same conference committee for further deliberation, with or without specific
instructions, or the appointment of a new conference committee may be requested. Failure
of the conference committee to reach agreement kills the measure. If the conference
committee report is acceptable to both chambers, the bill is enrolled, signed by both
presiding officers in the presence of their respective chambers, and sent to the governor.
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