Making laws
the floor
The chamber itself, where the full body debates and votes. Floor action is what happens after committee, and is the only place a measure can pass.
In full
Most legislative work happens in committee; the floor is where it becomes binding or dies. Access to it is the scarcest resource in Congress, because only so many days exist and leadership controls the schedule. Floor is also used as a threshold, as in a funding floor, which is an unrelated sense.
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Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.