Bills / Cosponsors

Introducing Bills

April 6, 2020 Update: Per the Speaker’s announced policy, staff are now able to submit certain documents electronically during this public health crisis. Electronic copies of bills and cosponsors can be submitted to Clerk_Hopper@housemail.house.gov. At this time, the Cloakroom cannot accept hard copies per prior practice. 

To introduce a bill, please staple or clip all pages of the bill together and have the sponsoring Member sign the bill in the upper right-hand corner of the front page. If a Member wishes to submit a cosponsor sheet with the bill, please clip it to the front of the bill. Please remember that all bills and joint resolutions will also require a signed Constitutional Authority Statement to be attached. You can download the Constitutional Authority Statement form here (PDF provided by the House Office of Legislative Counsel for Congressional Offices only). Bills and Constitutional Authority Statements without the member’s signature will not be accepted.

Adding Cosponsors to a Bill/Cosponsor sheets 

Members may add a cosponsor to a bill by downloading a cosponsor sheet from the Web site of the House Republican Cloakroom or the Office of the Clerk. The cosponsor form allows Members to add up to 40 cosponsors to a bill. If more space is needed, please download another form and staple the two together. Please provide the date, session of Congress and bill number in the appropriate spaces. If Members cannot provide the bill number, please provide the title of the bill. Cosponsors on the sheet will appear on the bill in the numerical order in which they are written. If a Member obtains signatures that are hand-written from other Members and are difficult to read, please print the name of the Member beside the signature. Members should sign the cosponsor sheet on the signature line or in the upper right-hand corner. Cosponsor sheets without the Member’s signature will not be accepted.

How to Submit

Staff may send Bills and Cosponsor sheets to the House Republican Cloakroom via inside mail or bring them to the Floor while the House is in session and give the material to Chamber Security personnel at the Main Door to the Chamber. During Special Orders and Recesses the materials may be dropped off in the Speaker’s Lobby. Chamber Security personnel will ensure the material is given to the Cloakroom.