Sponsor (legislative)
{{short description|Person who presents a bill to a legislature for deliberation}}
A sponsor or patron is a person, usually a legislator, who presents a bill or resolution to a legislature for consideration. Those who support it are known as cosponsors (sometimes co-sponsors) or copatrons.
U.S. Congress
A sponsor in the United States Congress is the first member of the House or Senate to be listed among the potentially numerous lawmakers who introduce a bill for consideration.{{cite web |url=https://hobnobblog.com/2012/04/bills-introduced-bills-referred-congressionalglossary-com/ |title=Bills Introduced / Bills Referred / Sponsor (CongressionalGlossary.com) |website=hobnob blog |publisher=TheCapitol.net |access-date=3 May 2014}} Committees are occasionally identified as sponsors of legislation as well. A sponsor is also sometimes called a "primary sponsor."
In contrast to a sponsor, a "cosponsor" is a senator or representative who adds their name as a supporter to the sponsor's bill. An "initial cosponsor" or "original cosponsor" is a senator or representative who was listed as a cosponsor at the time of a bill's introduction, rather than added as a cosponsor later on. A cosponsor added later is known as an "additional cosponsor".
An unlimited number of cosponsors of a bill is permitted.Johnson, Charles. [http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html "How Our Laws Are Made"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821131926/http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html |date=2008-08-21 }}, United States House of Representatives (2003). Some bills have hundreds of cosponsors.Fitch, Brad. [http://www.thecapitol.net/Publications/mediarelations.html "Media Relations Handbook for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits, And Congress"] (TheCapitol.Net 2004): "Some bills have hundreds of cosponsors, since members can easily add their support to any bill introduced and sometimes do it verbally without notifying staff."
Footnotes
External links
- [https://archives-democrats-rules.house.gov/CRS_Rpt/RS22477.pdf Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of House Bills]
- Sponsor/Cosponsor Summaries from the Library of Congress: [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d110/sponlst.html (2007-2008)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506095105/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d110/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d109/sponlst.html (2005-2006)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506130225/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d109/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d108/sponlst.html (2003-2004)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506110301/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d108/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d107/sponlst.html (2001-2002)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506095900/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d107/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d106/sponlst.html (1999-2000)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506112322/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d106/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }},[http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d105/sponlst.html (1997-1998)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506124208/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d105/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d104/sponlst.html (1995-1996)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506110246/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d104/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d103/sponlst.html (1993-1994)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506101551/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d103/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d102/sponlst.html (1991-1992)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506100028/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d102/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d101/sponlst.html (1989-1990)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506104053/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d101/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d100/sponlst.html (1987-1988)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506123505/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d100/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d099/sponlst.html (1985-1986)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506110729/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d099/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d098/sponlst.html (1983-1984)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506104557/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d098/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d097/sponlst.html (1981-1982)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506120947/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d097/sponlst.html |date=2009-05-06 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d096/sponlst.html (1979-1980)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016035706/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d096/sponlst.html |date=2008-10-16 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d095/sponlst.html (1977-1978)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016115313/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d095/sponlst.html |date=2008-10-16 }}, [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d094/sponlst.html (1977-1978)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015194857/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d094/sponlst.html |date=2008-10-15 }}, and [http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d093/sponlst.html (1975-1976)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016145448/http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d093/sponlst.html |date=2008-10-16 }}.
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