In Annapolis, reconciliation takes place in conference committees.

For a bill to become law, it must pass both houses of the legislature in identical form.

If one of my bills passes the House of Delegates and the Senate adopts substantive amendments to it, the House can accept those changes or request a conference committee “to resolve the difference between the two houses.”

No such committees have been formed yet this session.

But twice today, I strategized about what compromise a conference committee might make if the House amended a bill I’m working on.

If we accept an unfriendly amendment because it brings us the votes needed for the legislation to pass the House, will the conference committee sufficiently diminish the negative impact of that change?

That depends, in large measure, on who serves on the conference committee.

Who selects those people?

The chair of the committee that first considered the bill.