The hopper is a brown wooden box located on the House floor. It sits on the left side of the first tier of the Speaker's rostrum. Members who wish to introduce a bill drop the signed text into the hopper at any time the House is in session. In fact, Hill slang for introducing a measure is to "drop a bill," meaning dropping it into the hopper.

The Senate has no equivalent to the hopper. Senators introduce bills by handing them to the Bill Clerk seated at the rostrum at the front of the chamber.

The House Bill Clerk numbers each measure introduced in the order it is received -- in its specific category. For example, bills receive an "H.R." designation, e.g. H.R. 4344. Joint Resolutions are designated as "H.J.Res", e.g. H.J.Res. 198. Concurrent resolutions are termed "H.Con.Res." and simple resolutions, "H.Res." At the end of the 104th Congress (1995-1996), Members of the House had introduced 4,344 bills, 556 house resolutions, 232 concurrent resolutions, and 198 joint resolutions.

After a bill is numbered, the House Parliamentarian, at the delegation of the Speaker of the House, refers each measure to the appropriate committee(s) of jurisdiction. The text is then sent to the Government Printing Office for printing. After printing, copies are made available to the public through the House Document Room [U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515] or through the legislative Internet service of the Library of Congress, THOMAS .