A conference committee is a temporary joint committee of the House and Senate that is formed to resolve differences between the two chambers' versions of a bill. The committee is composed of members from both chambers, and it meets to negotiate a compromise version of the bill that can be passed by both chambers.

Conference committees are formed by the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate. The leaders of each chamber appoint members to the committee, and the committee is then chaired by a member of the majority party from each chamber.

The conference committee meets to negotiate a compromise version of the bill. The committee members discuss the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill and try to reach an agreement on a compromise version that can be passed by both chambers.

If the conference committee cannot reach an agreement on a compromise version of the bill, the bill is sent back to the House and Senate for further consideration. The chambers may then vote to accept the conference committee's report, or they may reject the report and send the bill back to the conference committee for further negotiation.

The President has no formal role in the conference committee process. However, the President can veto the bill if the conference committee cannot reach an agreement and the bill is passed by both chambers of Congress.

Conference committees differ from select committees in all of the ways listed above. Conference committees are temporary, while select committees are permanent. Conference committees are composed of members from both chambers, while select committees are composed of members from only one chamber. Conference committees are formed to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill, while select committees are formed to investigate a specific issue.

Conference committees face a number of challenges, including the need to reach a compromise between the House and Senate versions of a bill, the time constraints imposed on the committee, and the pressure from interest groups and lobbyists.

The effectiveness of conference committees can be improved by giving the committees more time to negotiate, reducing the pressure from interest groups and lobbyists, and making the committee process more transparent.

Conference committees have been criticized for being undemocratic, secretive, and partisan. Critics argue that conference committees allow a small group of lawmakers to make decisions that affect the entire country, that they do not allow for public input, and that they are too partisan and do not allow for compromise.

Defenders of conference committees argue that they are necessary to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill, that they allow for compromise and help to ensure that legislation is passed, and that they are more efficient than sending the bill back to the House and Senate for further consideration.

The power of conference committees varies from country to country. In some countries, conference committees are very powerful and can make significant changes to legislation. In other countries, conference committees are less powerful and play a more limited role in the legislative process.

Conference committees in other countries face a number of challenges, including the need to reach a compromise between different political parties, the time constraints imposed on the committee, and the pressure from interest groups and lobbyists.

The effectiveness of conference committees in other countries can be improved by giving the committees more time to negotiate, reducing the pressure from interest groups and lobbyists, and making the committee process more transparent.

Conference committees in other countries have been criticized for being undemocratic, secretive, and partisan. Critics argue that conference committees allow a small group of lawmakers to make decisions that affect the entire country, that they do not allow for public input, and that they are too partisan and do not allow for compromise.

Defenders of conference committees in other countries argue that they are necessary to resolve differences between different political parties, that they allow for compromise and help to ensure that legislation is passed, and that they are more efficient than sending the bill back to the different chambers for further consideration.