The enrolled bill is the final copy of the bill that has been passed in identical form by both the House and Senate. It is printed on parchment, certified by an officer of the house of origin (Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate) and then sent on for signatures of the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, and the President of the United States.

The text of the enrolled bill -- the version of the bill sent to the President for signature -- reflects all the provisions which actually take effect, unless the bill was vetoed or pocket-vetoed.

See How Our Laws Are Made for a fuller explanation of enrollment, Presidential approval, pocket-veto or veto.

During the 105th Congress, the text of certain kinds of enrolled bills (budget and spending bills) did not accurately reflect all provisions of the law that took effect, if the President "lined-out" or "line-item vetoed" some or all of the provisions of the enrolled bill he had signed into law. This change was mandated by Public Law 104-130, the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, whose provisions became effective January 1, 1997. Whenever the President signed a bill or joint resolution, the President could cancel in whole (1) any dollar amount of discretionary budget authority, (2) any item of new direct spending, and (3) certain limited tax benefits. For more information, read Line Item Veto.

But on June 26, 1998, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, struck down the line-item veto law, declaring it unconstitutional. In the case of Clinton v. City of New York, the Court held the law unconstitutional on grounds that it violates the presentment clause; in order to grant the President line item veto a constitutional amendment is needed (according to the majority opinion). On July 17, 1998, the Office of Management and Budget announced that funding would be released for the forty-plus cancellations made in 1997 under the Line Item Veto Act and not explicitly overturned previously.

Measures seeking to provide a constitutional alternative to the Line Item Veto Act have been introduced in the 106th Congress.