Legal Definitions - bill number

A bill number is a unique identification code assigned to a proposed law once it has been formally introduced into a legislative body. This number serves as a crucial tracking mechanism, allowing legislators, staff, and the public to follow the bill's journey through the legislative process.

Typically, a bill number begins with an abbreviation indicating the chamber where the legislation originated:

• S. stands for a bill introduced in the Senate.
• H.R. stands for a bill introduced in the House of Representatives.

This abbreviation is then followed by a sequential number, which is assigned in the order the bills are introduced within that specific legislative session.

Examples:

• Imagine a member of the House of Representatives proposes new legislation aimed at improving cybersecurity standards for federal agencies. When this proposal is officially introduced, it might be assigned the bill number H.R. 753. Here, "H.R." clearly indicates that the bill originated in the House of Representatives, and "753" is its unique sequential identifier, allowing anyone to easily find and track this specific piece of legislation.

• Consider a senator who introduces a bill in the Senate to establish a new national program for renewable energy research. Upon its introduction, this bill could be designated as S. 128. The "S." signifies that the bill was introduced in the Senate, and "128" is its distinct sequential number, differentiating it from all other Senate bills introduced during that session.

• Suppose a representative introduces a bill to reform federal student loan policies. This bill might receive the number H.R. 2105. The "H.R." confirms its origin in the House of Representatives, and "2105" is the specific sequential number that identifies this particular legislative proposal among all others introduced in the House during the current session.