Government Glossary

Calendar

Short Definition

Lists of measures, motions, and matters that are (or soon will become) eligible for consideration on the chamber floor.

Long Explanation

Lists of measures, motions, and matters that are (or soon will become) eligible for consideration on the chamber floor; also, the official document that contains these lists and other information about the status of legislation and other matters. The House has four such calendars, published as one document; the Senate publishes two.

In practice, Calendar is useful because it helps a visitor connect a word or phrase to court procedure, legal rights, opinions, appeals, or judicial review. When you see the term in an official source, ask which office has authority, what decision is being made, which deadline or rule matters, and where the public record can be checked.

Examples

Simple exampleA visitor sees “Calendar” while reading about a bill and uses Congress.gov or a committee page to find the official record.

Civic exampleA citizen trying to follow lawmaking checks the bill text, committee action, vote record, and chamber rules before relying on a summary.

Common Misconception

A common mistake is treating Calendar as a complete explanation of what Congress did. The term is usually a starting point. To know what happened, check the bill text, committee action, chamber record, and vote information where available.

Related Terms

CongressCourtsHouseJudicialLegislationLegislative BranchLegislative ProcessProcedure

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