Types of Legislation

If you attend the session or listen to the news during the legislative session each year, you may notice the frequent use of the terms bill, resolution & memorial. If you’re curious what the differences are between these three types of legislation, keep reading! We’ll give you an overview of each term and tell you how they relate and differ.

Bill 

A bill is a proposal for a law that is introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. A bill may be an idea for a new law or an amendment to an exiting law. The idea for a bill can originate from anyone including constituents, organizations & businesses. The legislator who introduces a bill is known as the sponsor of that bill. Anyone else who chooses to sponsor the legislation becomes a co-sponsor. All bills are assigned a number and are sent to committee by their chamber leadership. The committee will hear the bill and allow the public to testify in support or opposition of the proposed law. After hearing the testimony, committee members can take one of several actions:

1. Recommend that the bill “Do Pass”, “Do Pass as Amended”, or “Do Not Pass”
2. Replace the bill with a new bill that is similar but includes the reworks of the committee
3. Recommend that the bill be sent to another committee
4. Allow the bill to die by “tabling” it and not taking any further steps

If the bill passes both the House and Senate chambers, it is signed by the chairing officers of both houses and sent to the governor. The governor can then sign the bill into law, veto the bill or choose not to take further action and allow the bill to die.

Once signed by the governor, a bill becomes effective 90 days after enactment unless otherwise specified.

Resolution 

A resolution is a written motion that has to do with a matter that the legislature does not wish to control by law. Most commonly, we see joint resolutions (resolutions passed by both chambers) suggesting an amendment to the constitution of New Mexico. 

Similar to a bill, a resolution must be approved by both the House & Senate and signed by the governor to become law.

Memorial 

A memorial is a piece of legislation that addresses or petitions for a legislative desire.  It is often a method by which the legislature honors or acknowledges certain individuals or groups.

Unlike a bill or a resolution, a memorial does not require any action from the governor and does not have the force of law.