When in the process of proposing a bill in Congress does that bill
receive a nukmber?

Greetings FrusteratedSecretary,
A bill is assigned a number when it is first introduced.  

"When a bill is introduced, it receives a filing number in the Office
of the Secretary which is used to track the bill through the
legislative process. The first number is the Period in which it was
introduced, and the second number indicates its place in the numerical
sequence of bills introduced. "

http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/how.html

Have a great day and thank you for using Google Answers.

Best,
djbaker-ga