Congressional Agreement

• Joint resolutions are the product of agreement between the House and Senate. This means that the House of Representatives cannot pass a joint resolution on its own, and neither can the Senate. A joint resolution can originate in either of the two houses, but if it originates in the House it needs to be approved by the Senate, and vice versa. House and Senate resolutions do exist, but a joint resolution needs to be agreed upon by both houses of Congress.
  
  In most cases (with the exception of constitutional amendments) joint resolutions need to be approved by the president.
  
  

Appropriation

• Joint resolutions are often used for one-time appropriations bills--a single influx of money to a particular source. Where bills are usually used to consistently fund governmental mandates, joint resolutions are used when a program needs a quick injection of cash for the short term but Congress doesn't want to commit to funding it in the future.
  
  

Symbolic Gestures

• Joint resolutions are also used for symbolic gestures, such as recognizing the achievements of an individual or creating a national holiday. These symbolic gestures are used by representatives to show their constituents where their support lies without having to actually fund or commit to anything.
  
  

Constitutional Amendments

• Constitutional amendments start out as joint resolutions. This is because constitutional amendments do not require presidential approval. Rather, they need to start out as a joint resolution, then be ratified by three quarters of the states. This is important because it limits the president's power in terms of constitutional authority.