After a committee has reviewed a possible law (a bill), it either moves the bill forward toward a vote, changes it, or quietly kills it by taking no further action.

Basic outcome

  • The committee can vote to approve the bill and “report it out,” which sends it to the larger chamber (House or Senate) for the next step, usually placement on the calendar for debate and voting.
  • It can amend or rewrite the bill during “markup,” then report the changed version to the full chamber with a written report explaining what the bill does and what was changed.
  • It can effectively kill the bill by rejecting it, postponing it, or simply not acting on it (“tabling” or “taking no action”), so it never reaches a vote.

What “reporting out” means

  • When a committee reports a bill, it usually issues a committee report that explains the bill’s purpose, key provisions, and the reasoning behind recommending it, plus any proposed changes.
  • This report helps the rest of the legislature understand the bill before debating and voting on it, and it is part of the public record of how the law was developed.

Next steps in the lawmaking process

  • After a bill is reported out, leadership or a rules committee typically decides whether and when it will be taken up by the full chamber for debate (often called “second reading” or being placed on the floor calendar).
  • If that chamber passes the bill, it usually goes to the other chamber, which repeats the same sequence: committee review, possible amendments, and floor votes before the bill can finally be sent on for signature or veto.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.