What is the Origination Clause?
The Origination Clause requires bills for raising revenue to start in the House of Representatives. The Senate may amend those bills. The rule gives the House the first move on revenue legislation, not the only say.
It does not require every federal bill to start in the House. It also does not let the House make tax law without the Senate.
Where is the Origination Clause?
Article I, Section 7, Clause 1 contains the rule. Its first part requires bills for raising revenue to originate in the House. Its second part lets the Senate propose or agree to amendments as it does with other bills.
Cornell’s Constitution Annotated explanation of the Origination Clause includes the constitutional text and the court decisions that define its scope.
What counts as a revenue bill?
The rule generally covers bills that levy taxes to support the federal government as a whole. Not every bill that brings money into the Treasury counts as a revenue bill under this clause.
A bill for another purpose may collect money only as part of that work. In United States v. Munoz-Flores, the Supreme Court upheld a Senate-originated assessment that supported a crime victims fund. The Court treated it as support for a particular program, not revenue for the government generally.
Raising revenue also differs from providing funding. An appropriations bill supplies funding for agencies or programs. The Origination Clause does not require every spending bill to start in the House.
Can the Senate change a revenue bill?
Yes. The Senate may propose substantial amendments to a revenue bill that starts in the House. Its role is not limited to accepting or rejecting the House version.
The Supreme Court has upheld a Senate amendment that replaced an inheritance tax with a corporation tax. Revenue legislation can also reduce taxes. A House bill that reduces revenue can serve as the starting point for Senate amendments that increase revenue.
Senate amendments do not become law on their own. The House and Senate must pass the same text before the bill goes to the president.
How does Ways and Means fit in?
The House Ways and Means Committee writes tax and revenue bills. The Origination Clause names the House, not a specific committee. House rules assign the committee its work.
A committee vote does not make a bill law. Revenue bills still need passage in both chambers and presidential action, or another constitutional path such as a veto override. The bill-to-law guide explains those steps.
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