TexasCajun wrote:So how does it work when each chamber is working on companion bills? The Homeland Security Committee already heard testimony on the companion bills of those that just passed from the Senate to the House?
If a bill is on the House or Senate calendar when its companion bill gets passed out of the opposite chamber; that companion bill can--after being voted out of committee--be called up in place of the bill on the calendar. Basically, the companion bill takes the place of the bill already scheduled for a vote, but it still has to be approved by the second chamber's committee.
If a House bill is on the House calendar when a Senate bill is passed by the Senate, it still has to be passed by the House committee to which it's assigned, but it doesn't have to be scheduled by Calendars. The House author can simply call up the Senate companion bill when the House reaches his bill on the Calendar.