Legal Status of Bills

These terms describe where a bill is in the legislative process. They are used in the database to indicate progress or final outcome.

Use these definitions to interpret the status labels applied to bills in the dataset.

Proposed

A bill has been formally introduced and assigned a number, but no committee action has occurred yet. It is at the earliest stage of the process.

In Committee

The bill has been referred to one or more committees for review, debate, hearings, and possible amendment. Most bills die here if they are not advanced.

Engrossed

The bill has been passed by one chamber (House or Senate) and formally prepared in its final amended form for consideration by the other chamber.

Crossed Over

A bill has passed one chamber and has been transmitted ("crossed over") to the other chamber for consideration.

Governor’s Recommendation

The governor has formally suggested or submitted a bill (or amendments) to the legislature, often as part of an executive agenda.

Passed

A chamber (House or Senate) has approved the bill by vote.

Signed / Enacted / Adopted

The bill has completed the legislative process and become law (or in the case of resolutions, has been officially adopted). This typically means it was signed by the governor or enacted automatically after a waiting period.

Failed

The bill did not advance; this can happen in committee, on the floor vote, or by missing deadlines. It is no longer moving forward in the current session.

Vetoed

The governor rejected the bill after legislative passage. In some cases, the legislature may attempt to override the veto with a supermajority vote.

Referendum

The measure has been placed before voters for approval or rejection in an election, rather than being enacted solely by the legislature.