Bill status

Bill status terms: a glossary across legislatures

Last checked 7 November 2026 · 9 sources

Short answer

Bill status terms describe where a bill stopped or what can still happen to it. Several mean the bill is dead without a final vote: in Canada, government bills without royal assent cease to exist at prorogation ⁴. In South Africa, a bill lapses if the Mediation Committee cannot agree within 30 days, though for some bills the National Assembly can still pass it with a two-thirds vote ². Others mean the bill survives: UK public bills may be carried over to the next session, subject to agreement ³. Check which legislature's rules apply before reading a label.

UK carry-over: Public bills may carry over to the next session, subject to agreement ³
First UK carry-over: Financial Services and Markets Bill, session 1998-99 ³
Canada prorogation: Government bills without royal assent cease to exist ⁴
South Africa deadlock: Bill lapses if the Mediation Committee cannot agree within 30 days, with a two-thirds Assembly override for some bills ²
South Africa bill types: Sections 74, 75, 76 and 77, set by tagging ¹
US presidential window: Ten days, Sundays excepted ⁸

Terms that mean the bill has stopped

Term	Legislature	Official meaning
Cease to exist	Canada ⁴	Government bills without royal assent before prorogation end, and must be reintroduced or reinstated by motion ⁴
Hoist	Canada ⁹	An amendment putting off second reading for three or six months, which if adopted defeats the bill ⁹
Laid aside	Australia ⁵	The bill is not further pursued after the two Houses cannot agree ⁵
Laid on the table	United States ⁷	Disposes of a measure immediately, finally and adversely without a direct vote on its substance ⁷
Indefinitely postponed	United States ⁷	Consideration suspended with no date set to continue ⁷
Lapses	South Africa ²	The result where the Mediation Committee cannot agree on a bill within 30 days of referral. For bills under section 76(1), the Assembly can still pass it with at least two-thirds of its members ²
Pocket veto	United States ⁸	Congress by adjournment prevents the return of an unsigned bill, so it does not become law ⁸

Terms that mean the bill is still alive

Term	Legislature	Official meaning
Carried over	United Kingdom ³	A public bill moved from one session to the next, subject to agreement ³
Reinstated	Canada ⁴	A bill restored in a new session after the House adopts a motion ⁴
Placed on calendar	United States ⁷	Eligible for floor consideration, with no guarantee of it ⁷
Referred back	South Africa ²	The President returns a bill to the National Assembly over reservations about its constitutionality ²
Referred to the Constitutional Court	South Africa ²	The President asks the Court to decide whether a reconsidered bill is constitutional ²

Session endings compared

In the UK, prorogation is the formal end to the parliamentary year ³. It brings to an end nearly all parliamentary business, but public bills may be carried over, subject to agreement ³. The first bill carried over was the Financial Services and Markets Bill in session 1998-99 ³.

In Canada, prorogation ends a session and dissolution ends a Parliament and terminates all business ⁴. In Australia, the House of Representatives notes that in recent times Parliaments have had one session only, and a new session follows a prorogation or dissolution ⁶. Under section 57 of the Australian Constitution, a deadlocked bill must be passed again by the House after an interval of three months, in the same or the next session ⁶.

Tagging in South Africa

As soon as a bill is introduced in the South African Parliament, the Joint Tagging Mechanism classifies it into one of four categories ¹. The tag decides which procedure the bill must follow ¹. The mechanism is made up of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker and the Chairperson and permanent Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) ¹. About 90 per cent of bills are initiated by the Executive ¹.

Section 74: bills amending the Constitution. Amending the Bill of Rights needs two-thirds of the National Assembly and six provinces in the NCOP ¹.
Section 75: ordinary bills not affecting provinces. Introduced only in the National Assembly, then sent to the NCOP ¹.
Section 76: ordinary bills affecting provinces. Votes in the NCOP are by provincial delegation, and at least five provinces must vote in favour ¹.
Section 77: money bills. Introduced only by the Minister of Finance in the National Assembly ¹.

Assent and effect

In South Africa, the President must assent to and sign a bill or refer it back to the National Assembly over reservations about its constitutionality ². If the reconsidered bill still does not meet those reservations, the President must sign it or refer it to the Constitutional Court ². Members of the National Assembly may apply to the Court within 30 days of the date of assent for an order that all or part of an Act is unconstitutional ². A signed bill becomes an Act, must be published promptly, and takes effect when published or on a date determined under the Act ².

In the United States, a bill the President does not return within ten days, Sundays excepted, becomes law as if signed, except where adjournment prevents its return ⁸. In Australia, an Act with no commencement date comes into effect on the 28th day after assent ⁵.

Common questions

What does lapsed mean for a bill?

It means the bill has ended without becoming law. In South Africa, for example, a bill can lapse where the Mediation Committee cannot agree within 30 days ².

Can a UK bill survive the end of a session?

Yes. Public bills may be carried over from one session to the next, subject to agreement ³.

What happens to Canadian bills at prorogation?

Government bills without royal assent cease to exist. They can be reintroduced or reinstated by a House motion ⁴.

What is bill tagging in South Africa?

The classification of a new bill into section 74, 75, 76 or 77 by the Joint Tagging Mechanism, which sets the procedure it follows ¹.

Is a bill laid on the table in Congress still pending?

No. Laying on the table disposes of it finally and adversely without a direct vote on its substance ⁷.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@statusofrecord.com.

Sources

Bill stages compared: UK, US and EU
How a bill moves through the UK Parliament, the US Congress and the EU ordinary legislative procedure, and what each stage label on a tracker means.
Reading the status of a bill in the US Congress
What the bill version codes, calendar placements, veto rules and public law numbers tell you about where a bill stands in the US Congress.
Bill status in Canada: stages, labels and LEGISinfo
How a federal bill moves through the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada, what each LEGISinfo status label means, and when an Act comes into force.
Bill status in the Australian Parliament
How a bill passes the House of Representatives and the Senate in Australia, what the status labels on the Parliament website mean, and when an Act starts.
How to read an as-of date
How to tell the date a record was last updated from the date an event took effect, with examples from court, parliament, company and World Bank records.