Knowing the status of a Congressional bill is just important as the content of the bill itself. Understanding which bills make it through the “political gauntlet” of the congressional legislative process, and why they did or did not tells us much about the priorities of our politicians and the political mood of the country. The purpose of this ePamphlet is to give readers a basic understanding of the processes Congress uses to create bills so they can better decode what's happening in Washington. This document is meant to be a brief overview of those processes. We provide links to fine materials that provide more detail of the congressional legislative process than is presented here should you wish to read further on the topic.