If both the House and the Senate pass a different version of the same bill, a conference committee is established to work out the differences between the two versions. The agreement reached within the committee is published in a conference report, and issued to both the House and the Senate. The legislation goes back to both chambers for a vote. It cannot be ammended at this point. If it is not approved by both, it must go back to the conference committee.
Refers to the final version of a bill proposed by House and Senate conferees. Related definitions: Conference Committee
A report generated by the Conference Committee upon reaching satisfactory compromise or agreement.
The compromise product negotiated by the conference committee. The "conference report," which is printed and available to Members, is submitted to each chamber for its consideration, such as approval or disapproval.
A report, signed by a majority of the conferees of each house, consisting of agreements reconciling the different versions of a bill passed by the House and Senate. A conference report must be approved in each house by the same number votes as it takes to pass the bill.
A document submitted to both houses that contains a conference committee's agreements for resolving differences on a measure. It must be signed by a majority of the conferees from each house, and must be accompanied by an explanatory statement. Both houses prohibit amendments to a conference report, and require it to be accepted or rejected in its entirety.