How common is it for bills to be introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate?
<p>Five bills are mentioned in <a href="http://fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/RL33706.pdf" rel="nofollow">this report</a>. Two of them, H.R. 2422 and S. 829, are very similar and appear to be applicable to the same situations (though I can not find the full text of the latter), with the only difference being that the former was introduced in the House of Representatives, and the latter was introduced in the Senate. As of the report's publication, both were pending legislation in the 109<sup>th</sup> Congress.</p>

<p>Is it common for similar - if not identical - bills to be introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the same time? Why is this done?</p>

<p>The only legal requirement for bill origination is that <strong>tax bills must originate in the House of Representatives</strong>.</p>

<p>Otherwise, simultaneous origination is quite common. Differences are resolved through a process called "reconciliation" prior to passage.</p>

united-states us-senate bills us-house-of-reps