The committees of the House and Senate play a crucial role in our democracy. Committees check bills and run inquiries, investigate matters of public concern, and work with other government bodies. Their work is vital to ensuring that laws are well-drafted and based on accurate information. Committee members also conduct outreach with the public by holding events and surveys, hosting round-table discussions, and undertaking visits.
After a hearing, the committee will publish its transcript. This includes the testimony of all witnesses and the question-and-answer portion of the hearing. Hearing transcripts are available online through the Government Publishing Office’s govinfo website and in print at the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research and Documentation Center.
Following a committee hearing, the government will often submit a response to the panel’s report. This can be done by either publishing the response (as a Command Paper) or sending it to the committee, which can then publish it as a special report. Frequently, the committee will request multiple responses from a government body. When this happens, the reports are published together to make it easier for researchers and readers to find them.
Once a committee has finished its deliberation, it will vote on whether to “report” the measure. A bill that is reported can be passed on its own, or it may be combined with other amendments to form a new bill. The committee’s recommendation can be made public, or it can be tabled – meaning that the committee will not consider the measure again for a certain period of time. See How Our Laws Are Made for more information on this process.
As the 2025 elections approach, a lot of focus will be on who will hold committee leadership positions. This is particularly true of the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the nomination and confirmation process for federal judges and other high-profile jobs. A new rule change announced by the Rules Committee this week will force Dick Durbin to give up his Appropriations subcommittee leadership position if he wants to be the Senate’s next Judiciary ranking member.