In the THOMAS Bill Text files, how do I identify the latest version of a bills text?
On its way to becoming a law, a bill completes a number of stages in the legislative process. The completion of a particular stage is reflected by the creation of a new bill version. However, not all bills complete all stages in the legislative process. In fact, the majority of bills never make it farther than the first stage, and thus have only one version (introduced). Below is a list of the most common versions of bills in the chronological order they appear in the legislative process. Not all bills will have all the versions set forth below. Click on the active links for a definition of that bill version. For a more complete explanation of the stages in the legislative process, see Searching by Stage in the Legislative Process.
