"In the Know" - Bill Basics

Legislative sessions can feel overwhelming—full of moving parts and processes that only occur every two years. Just when you think you've got the hang of it, session adjourns and goes quiet for months. That's where GNDC comes in: we help our members make sense of the chaos and navigate every step of the journey.

The first week of the session is primarily dedicated to orientation and setup, but let's dive into the fundamentals of bills and resolutions:

Who submits bills?

• Bills are primarily submitted by legislators, but they can also come from interim committees and state agencies.

How are bills numbered?
Legislative Council assigns numbers based on the bill's intent and chamber of origin. These numbers serve as the bill's main identifier—unless they are lucky/notorious enough to get a nickname, think "Operation Prairie Dog."

• 1### = House Bills
• 2### = Senate Bills
• 3### = House Resolutions
• 4### = Senate Resolutions

Additionally, HB stands for House Bill. SB = Senate Bill.


Bills vs. Resolutions:

• BILLS: Propose laws or changes to existing laws.
• RESOLUTIONS: Represent statements or intentions of the legislature. These might express sentiments, respond to federal issues, or propose study topics for future sessions.

The Process
Legislators have a limited window to file bills. These are formatted by Legislative Council and released in batches known as "bill drops." At GNDC, we jump into action the moment bills are published, analyzing them for potential impacts on our members.

In the last session, we reviewed over 900 bills—a record number—and this year is shaping up to be even busier. The volume of legislation continues to grow, and GNDC remains committed to keeping you informed and engaged.

Looking for more? Check out our bill tracker here. This shows the bills we are watching or have a stance on.