What Is a Companion Bill?
In a bi-cameral legislature, bills must pass both houses to become law. Passing only the House or only the Senate is not enough. So during or after the process explained above, a similar process usually occurs in the other house with a “companion,” or identical bill. By the time a bill has passed both houses, there often are differences in the versions each house has approved. These differences must ultimately be ironed out in “conference” to create one bill that is approved by a majority in each house. Once that has been accomplished, it will be sent to the governor (if it is state legislation) or to the president (if it is federal legislation).
