About the Senate Legislative Calendar

The Senate's Legislative Calendar is updated each day the Senate is in session. The calendar, composed of several sections, identifies bills and resolutions awaiting Senate floor actions. Most measures are placed on the calendar under the heading "General Orders" in the sequence in which they were added to the calendar. Other sections are provided to address special situations in which floor actions have been deferred and to show the status of bills in conference and of appropriations bills.

The sections of the calendar described below can be viewed individually from the GPO website.

Cover and Special Orders

• Date on which each session of the current Congress convened and adjourned sine die.
• Provides the number of days the Senate has met during each session.
• Displays time and date the Senate is next scheduled to convene.
• Lists any unfinished or pending business
• Lists any unanimous consent agreements that continue to apply to legislative business the Senate is considering.

Senate Membership

A list of senators and the year in which their term expires.

Committee Assignments

Other, Select and Special Committees

Joint Committees of Congress

Cross Index

Index of General Orders measures with corresponding order numbers.

This section provides all Senate and House measures placed on the Senate's Legislative Calendar under "General Orders" along with a cross index to the order number under which it is listed.

General Orders

This is a list of all Senate and House measures placed on the Senate's Legislative Calendar, pursuant to Senate Rule VIII, under "General Orders", sequenced by order number and eligible for Senate floor consideration. Most measures are placed under this heading.

Notice of Intent to Object

When following the objection to an unanimous consent to proceeding to, and, or passage of, a measure or matter on their behalf, a Senator has notified the appropriate leader, or their designee, in writing and submits such objection for inclusion in the Congressional Record and the Senate Calendar of Business, it shall be placed in the section of the Calendar entitled "Notice of Intent to Object to Proceeding". (Sec. 512, P.L. 110-81)

Subjects on the Table, Motions for Reconsideration

The section, subjects on the table, lists all "subjects on the table" that are still eligible for consideration. Motions for reconsideration lists all motions that senators have entered for later Senate consideration.

Bills in Conference

This document at GPO identifies and describes the current status of all bills and resolutions for which a joint House/Senate conference has been requested and conferees appointed.

Appropriations

This links to a chart which identifies and describes the current status of all appropriations bills introduced in the current Congress.

For additional information about this topic, read the CRS report The Senate's Calendar of Business.