Final answer:
Conference committees do not meet to discuss the organization of their respective houses; rather, they resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill to produce a compromise that both chambers can agree upon.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "Conference committees meet to confer over the organization of their respective houses" is false. Instead, conference committees are formed specifically to reconcile different versions of a bill that has been passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. These committees are temporary and are established on an ad hoc basis when the House and Senate have passed different forms of the same bill. Often seen as a measure of last resort, the conference committee negotiates and drafts a compromise bill, which is then returned to both chambers for final approval. This is a critical step in the legislative process, ensuring that a single, uniform piece of legislation is sent to the president for signature.
Their role is crucial to resolving legislative differences and is reflective of the broader committee system utilized by Congress to manage its workload. The House and Senate each have standing committees, joint committees, and select or special committees, all of which serve distinct functions in the legislative process, such as reviewing proposed bills, conducting investigations, and overseeing specific issues.