Chairman's Mark

A first draft of legislation introduced by the chair of a committee or subcommittee to be considered at a markup.

Skid Row

Any member of Congress can introduce legislation. Upon introduction, legislation is referred to relevant committees of jurisdiction. Committees can choose to amend or markup legislation before forwarding to the full chamber for consideration.

The overwhelming number of introduced bills rarely make it out of committee, let alone are signed into law. In fact, of the nearly 9,000 pieces of legislation offered so far in the 116th Congress, slightly less than 1,000 have seen any committee action and only 66 have become law. As a result, committee and subcommittee chairs have significant power in determining which legislation moves forward.