United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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Bill Hopper

Bill Hopper/tiles/collection/5/5473.xml
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Date

ca. 1950

Dimensions

8 1/2 x 14 x 6 1/4 in. (21.6 x 35.6 x 15.9 cm)

Accession Number

2004.019.000

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

Representatives introduce bills by placing them in the bill hopper attached to the side of the Clerk’s desk in the Chamber. The term derives from a funnel-shaped storage bin filled from the top and emptied from the bottom, which is often used to house grain or coal. Bills are retrieved from the hopper and referred to committees with the appropriate jurisdiction. The hopper shown here became part of the House Collection of Art and Artifacts after it was retired in 2003.

Rights and Reproduction Information

Objects

Mace of the U.S. House of Representatives
Mace of the U.S. House of Representatives

Media

A Curator's Look at the House Chamber

Download

The House of Representatives has changed over the centuries, and so has the place where it meets to conduct business. In this video, House Curator Farar Elliott paints a picture of what the Chamber looked like long ago, and how it looks today.

Related Content

From the Blog: "A Law-Making Mill:" The Hopper, The House, and Agrarian America
From the Blog: "A Law-Making Mill:" The Hopper, The House, and Agrarian America
Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov