Government Glossary

Simple Resolution

Short Definition

A form of legislative measure introduced and potentially acted upon by only one congressional chamber and used for the.

Long Explanation

A form of legislative measure introduced and potentially acted upon by only one congressional chamber and used for the regulation of business only within the chamber of origin. Depending on the chamber of origin, they begin with a designation of either H.Res. or S.Res. Joint resolutions and concurrent resolutions are other types of resolutions.

In practice, Simple Resolution is useful because it helps a visitor connect a word or phrase to law making, committee work, oversight, votes, or congressional records. 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 “Simple Resolution” 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 Simple Resolution 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

CongressLegislationLegislative BranchLegislative Process

Quick Link Guide

One-click access to other sections of the government education guide.