Engrossed vs. enrolled
Definition
An engrossed bill is the official printed version of a bill after one chamber passes it, with all amendments incorporated, before it moves to the other chamber. An enrolled bill is the final identical text both chambers have agreed to, signed by congressional leaders and sent to the president.
Why it matters
These clerical-sounding stages are the last checkpoints where a gap between what each chamber actually voted on can surface. Under the enrolled bill rule, courts generally treat the enrolled, signed version as conclusive, even if a drafting error slipped in during engrossment, so the paperwork can lock in text no one intended.
Seen in the wild
The House Office of the Legislative Counsel and the enrolling clerks routinely catch and correct scrivener's errors between the engrossed and enrolled stages of major bills, a safeguard the Congressional Research Service documents as standard before a bill reaches the president's desk.1