Legal Definitions - joint committee

A joint committee is a type of legislative committee that is composed of members from both houses of a legislature. Its purpose is to investigate, consider, and oversee business referred to it by the deliberative assembly. Joint committees are commonly used in the United States Congress and state legislatures.

For example, a joint committee may be formed to reconcile differences between two versions of a bill that have been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate. The joint committee would work to create a compromise version of the bill that both houses could agree on.

Another example of a joint committee is the Joint Committee on Taxation in the U.S. Congress. This committee is responsible for analyzing tax legislation and providing revenue estimates for proposed bills.