A legislative session is the period of time during which a legislature (either in parliamentary or presidential systems) convenes to conduct official business and enact laws. It is during sessions that legislators introduce, debate, and vote on bills that, if passed, become state laws.
Legislators must consider a variety of issues, both large and small, during a session. To do so, they need to know how to organize and prioritize their work. Having a list of the most important issues is one way to do this. It is also helpful to understand the underlying dynamics of the legislative process. The duration of a legislative session can play a role in how many bills are introduced and passed, as well as the pace at which legislation is processed.
During the legislative session, Members of the House and Senate develop bills to address the needs of New Hampshire citizens and businesses. Once a bill is introduced, it’s assigned a legislative number and referred to the committee of jurisdiction. During the committee’s deliberations, each Member is given the opportunity to speak on the issue before the committee and to offer amendments. Once all of the amendments are considered, the committee votes on the bill and then the House of Representatives votes on final passage.
After the bill passes through the House, it’s sent to the Senate for consideration. The Senate usually has its own deliberations on the bill, which may or may not be similar to the discussions in the House. If the bills differ, a conference committee is appointed to resolve the differences. During this process, the constituents whose representatives or senators are on the conference committee can play an important role. The resulting conference report is then voted on in the Senate and, if approved, passed to the House for concurrence.