A Congressional Conference Committee is composed of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and it is charged with resolving disagreements on a specific piece of legislation. A committee is usually comprised of senior Members of the standing committees of each House that originally considered the legislation.
Conference committees are created after the House and the Senate pass different versions of a piece of legislation. Conference committees must negotiate a compromise bill that will be voted upon by both Chambers of Congress. This is because both houses of Congress must pass identical legislation for the bill to become law, according to the U.S. Constitution.
The conference committee is usually composed of the senior members of the respective House and Senate standing committees that originally considered the legislation. Each Congressional chamber determines its number of conferees; there is no requirement that the number of conferees from the two chambers is equal.
Sending a bill to a conference committee involves four steps, three of the steps are required, the fourth is not. Both houses are required to complete the first three steps.
- Stage of disagreement. Here, the Senate and House agree that they disagree. According to "Conference Committee and Related Procedures: An Introduction," the agreement can be accomplished by:
- The Senate insisting on its own amendment(s) to a House-passed bill or amendment.
- The Senate disagreeing to the House’s amendment(s) to a Senate-passed bill or amendment.
- Then, the House and Senate must agree to create a conference committee to resolve the legislative disagreement.
- In an optional step, each house may provide a motion to instruct. These are instructions on the conferees' positions, though they aren't binding.
- Each house then appoints its conference members.
After deliberation, the conferees may make one or more recommendations. For example, the committee may recommend (1) that the House recede from all or certain of its amendments; (2) that the Senate recede from its disagreement to all or certain of the House amendments and agree to the same; or (3) that the conference committee is unable to agree in all or in part. Usually, however, there is a compromise.In order to conclude its business, a majority of both House and Senate delegations to the conference must sign the conference report.The conference report proposes new legislative language which is presented as an amendment to the original bill passed by each chamber. The conference report also includes a joint explanatory statement, which documents, among other things, the legislative history of the bill.
The conference report proceeds directly to the floor of each chamber for a vote; it cannot be amended. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 limits Senate debate on conference reports on budget reconciliation bills to 10 hours.
- Standing Committees: These permanent committees established under the standing rules of the Senate and specialize in the consideration of particular subject areas. As of September 2016, Senate currently has 16 standing committees, according to Senate.gov.
- Joint Committees: These committees include membership from both houses of Congress. Joint committees are established with narrow jurisdictions and typically lack authority to report legislation.
- Special or Select Committees are established by the Senate for a specific time period to undertake a particular study or investigation. These committees may or may not have authority to report legislation to the Senate.
Every conference has a General Chair, appointed by the sponsoring organization. The chair: The Conference Committee runs the conference. They hold meetings as needed to ensure that the conference is on track and report to the sponsoring organization. Most conferences have at least a Proceedings Chair and Finance Chair/Treasurer. Conferences often set up by committees for specific functions. Some examples include Finance/Treasurer, Technical Program, Publicity, Registration, Exhibits, Audit, and Local Arrangements. The chairs of these committees usually serve on the conference committee. Be sure to create a clear definition of roles and responsibilities and identify to whom each committee reports.
There are five key roles for any conference.
General Chair: Appointed by the sponsoring organization. Often responsible for selecting the conference location. Appoints the chairs of other committees that make up the conference committee.
Finance Chair & Treasurer: Depending on the size of the conference, a committee may be necessary to ensure all financial, tax, and audit requirements are met. Some of these requirements include establishing conference bank accounts, indirect tax, insurance and bonding, budget, expenses, financial reports, and conference closing. Also responsible for the final audit, if required.
Program Chair: Ensures that a well-balanced, high-quality program is organized and presented at the conference. Handles the Call for Papers through the selection and review of every paper. Assists in the scheduling of session rooms and helping with local arrangements for the program.
Publications Chair: Responsible for the coordination of conference content production (e.g., papers from special tutorial sessions or colloquia, summaries of conference papers, programs, etc.) and serves as the point of contact for all Xplore® submission-related inquiries before and after the conference.
Publicity & Public Relations Chair: Gathers, maintains, and utilizes lists of media contacts and past and potential attendees for targeted outreach; promotes the conference through placements in various publication calendars and advertisements in IEEE and non-IEEE publications and news media. May also develop and manage the website and any social-media applications.
Depending on the size and scope of the conference, chairs may establish committees for these activities.
Your conference may establish committees to assist with specific functions. These committees are merely suggestions; feel free to establish the number and type of committees particular to your needs. Be sure to create a clear definition of roles and responsibilities and a reporting structure.
- Registration Committee: Plans and runs conference registration (both advance and on site) procedures and logistics, including handling of credit card fees, cancellation policy, and creation of name badges; or, it manages a registration-management company.
- Exhibits Committee: Ensures proper handling of contracts, floor space, exhibitor registration, security, and other logistics; or management of an exhibits-management company.
- Local Arrangements Committee: Works with local vendors, management companies, the conference, and other committees in the planning of the conference space, including room set-up, hiring of entertainment, tours, and other local logistics. This committee also works with the local Convention & Visitors Bureau, if applicable.
We recommend the following courses in the IEEE Center for Leadership Excellence (CLE). First, use your IEEE Account to log in to the CLE and then click the View Course link to go directly to the recommended course.
Conference Committee Keys to Success and Legacy – Playback from Convene 2018 – John Barr IEEE Volunteer, Kevin Hanft IEEE (Building your team – best practices)
Step 1: Log In
- Log in with your IEEE Account
Step 2: View Course
If you have questions about forming your conference committee, please contact the MCE team.