Mike Rogers is a sixth generation East Alabamian. He is a conservative, a Christian, the father of three and married to his wife, Beth, for over 40 years.
Mike grew up in Calhoun County, Alabama, in the small mill village of Blue Mountain. His mother worked in the local textile mill and his father was a firefighter. Mike learned the values of family, hard work and sacrifice from his parents.
Usually the first step in this process is a public hearing, where the committee members hear witnesses representing various viewpoints on the measure. Each committee makes public the date, place and subject of any hearing it conducts. The Committee Meetings scheduled for today are available along with other House Schedules . Public announcements are also published in the Daily Digest portion of the Congressional Record.
A transcript of the testimony taken at a hearing is made available for inspection in the committee office, and frequently the complete transcript is printed and distributed by the committee.
After hearings are completed, the bill is considered in a session that is popularly known as the "mark-up" session. Members of the committee study the viewpoints presented in detail. Amendments may be offered to the bill, and the committee members vote to accept or reject these changes.
This process can take place at either the subcommittee level or the full committee level, or at both. Hearings and markup sessions are status steps noted in the Legislative Action portion of Bill Status.