Factsheets
Your source on political action, legislation & voter info

How to read a legislative bill

SPONSORSHIP

Sponsorship information is located above the black line on the legislative bill document and includes:

• The House or Senate bill number
• The year of the General Assembly
• Sponsor of the bill

TITLE

• Located immediately following the black line
• States the subject of the bill
• States if the bill is an emergency measure, imposes a tax, or makes an appropriation
• Required by the Constitution and lists the Ohio Revised Code sections to be amended, enacted, or repealed
  

STYLE CLAUSE

• Required by the Constitution "BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:"
• The phrase has no bearing on the substance of the bill

THE BODY

• Always begins with the words “Section 1”, usually called the amend or enact clause
• Identifies the Ohio Revised Code sections the bill proposes to amend or enact
• Immediately following the list of section numbers, the complete text of each Code section being amended or enacted appears in chronological order
• All proposed new language is underscored (ie…sixty words) and the current law remains unchanged (Symbols and punctuation marks are also underlined)
• If existing law is being removed, the words to be removed are stricken through by a horizontal line

REPEAL CLAUSE

• The "repeal clause" is the last section of the bill referred to as "Section 2" (Exception for emergency bills)
• Required by the Constitution and lists that any former sections of the Ohio Revised Code are repealed
  

EMERGENCY CLAUSE

• If the bill has been identified as an emergency measure in the title, "Section 3" will appear as the final section of the bill
• This section must be voted on separately and must receive a two/thirds majority vote for passage

TEMPORARY CLAUSE

• Always at the conclusion of the legislation and will not contain the same punctuation as the rest
• Indicates intent
• Often the action taken is one time and therefore not placed in permanent law

See Related

GRASSROOTS FACTS - Three Basic Branches

GRASSROOTS FACTS - Election Cycle

GRASSROOTS FACTS - Term Limits

GRASSROOTS FACTS - How a bill becomes law

GRASSROOTS FACTS - Glossary of Terms

GRASSROOTS FACTS - ALL

Updated: March 8, 2007