A sponsor or patron is a person, usually a

legislator A legislator, or lawmaker, is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-nat ...

, who presents a bill or resolution to a

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

for consideration. Those who support it are known as cosponsors (sometimes co-sponsors) or copatrons.

U.S. Congress

A sponsor in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

is the first member of the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

to be listed among the potentially numerous lawmakers who introduce a bill for consideration.

Committees A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

are occasionally identified as sponsors of legislation as well. A sponsor is also sometimes called a "primary sponsor." In contrast to a sponsor, a "cosponsor" is a senator or representative who adds their name as a supporter to the sponsor's bill. An "initial cosponsor" or "original cosponsor" is a senator or representative who was listed as a cosponsor at the time of a bill's introduction, rather than added as a cosponsor later on. A cosponsor added later is known as an "additional cosponsor". An unlimited number of cosponsors of a bill is permitted.Johnson, Charles
"How Our Laws Are Made"
, United States House of Representatives (2003). Some bills have hundreds of cosponsors.Fitch, Brad.

(TheCapitol.Net 2004): "Some bills have hundreds of cosponsors, since members can easily add their support to any bill introduced and sometimes do it verbally without notifying staff."

Footnotes

External links

Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of House Bills
*Sponsor/Cosponsor Summaries from the Library of Congress

, an

. {{USCongress Terminology of the United States Congress