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.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “Bill Hopper,” https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2004/2004-019-000/ (November 25, 2020)
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