engrossed bill

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Definition

The official copy of a bill as amended and passed by one chamber, certified accurate before sending to the other chamber. It's the legislative equivalent of showing your work before submitting the assignment.

Example Usage

The engrossed bill included 47 amendments, making it barely recognizable from its original form but technically the same legislation.

Origin

From medieval practice of writing official documents in large, clear script; 'engross' originally meant to write in large letters

Fun Fact

Despite the archaic name, engrossed bills are now produced by legislative database systems, though staff still call the process 'engrossing' because tradition matters more than vocabulary accuracy.

Source: Legislative drafting manuals and congressional procedure documentation

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