Advocacy Glossary

Companion bill

What does companion bill mean?

A companion bill is a matching version of a bill filed in the other chamber, so the House and Senate can work on the same idea at the same time.

Why it matters for advocates

Since both chambers must pass identical text, filing matching bills early saves time. In Florida, bills often move as a Senate bill and a House bill that are supposed to line up.

Advocates should track both versions. A change in one chamber's committee has to be matched in the other, or the bill can stall at the end.

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