Task 4. Find the following words in the text “The Lawmaking in Ukraine”. Read the sentences and translate them

Initiative, proposition, legislation, execution, validity.

Task 5. Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following expressions

to produce documents	a pandect system
to govern relations	a well structured hierarchy
to point our the areas	complexity of norms
norms of a direct effect	general provision of laws
the main legislation sources	implementation of development
to be mandatory for execution	legal validity
to be entitled	official publication
to come into force	repeated consideration
the highest legal force	specific sphere of competence
to issue decrees / directives	the continental law system
to recognize a rule of law	the National Deputies list

Task 6. Find in the text the English equivalents for the phrases below

нормативно – правові акти	згідно закону
у формі законів	міжнародні угоди
бути зареєстрованим	місцеві органи державної влади
головне джерело Українського права	органи місцевого самоврядування
похідне (вторинне) законодавство	в межах своєї компетенції
державні установи	регіональний бюджет
приймати нове законодавство	видавати нормативні акти
гарантувати дотримання закону	законодавча ініціатива
мати права	приймати закони

Task 7. Make the following text complete by translating the phrases in brackets

The ( процедури)for the singing and official (публікація) of the laws are clearly regulated in Article 94 of the (Конституція), pursuant to which a law adopted by (Парламент) shall be signed by the Chairman of (Парламент)and shall be (подавати) by him without any delay to the President. Within fifteen days of receiving the (закон), the President shall either(підписувати) and оприлюднювати) this law or return it with substantiated (пропозиції) to Parliament for reconsideration. If the law is not returned for reconsideration by the President within the stated period, it shall be treated as (схвалений)by the President and shall be signed and published. If in the course of reconsideration, the law is (прийнятий) unchanged by Parliament by a (більшість) of at least two-thirds of its members, the President shall be (зобов’язаний)to sign and promulgate the law within ten days. The law shall (набирає чинності) ten days after the date of its promulgation, unless otherwise provided by the law, however, it may only (набирати чинності)on or after the date of its publication.

The Constitution does not (забезпечує) for any exceptions from these rules with respect to the signing and promulgation of laws dealing with the (ратифікація) of international treaties.

Task 8. Read and translate the text “How a Bill Becomes a Law”. Write a list of words, unknown to you. Use your dictionary to check their meaning

How a Bill Becomes a Law

The legislative branch –Congress- consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Congress makes all laws and each house of Congress has the power to introduce legislation.

The Senate and the House of Representatives meet in session each year to create new laws, change existing laws and enact budgets for the State. The members of the house and Senate offer legislation, or bills, for consideration. Once a member introduces a bill, the legislative process begins. The process has a number of specific steps. Bills must have three readings in each house in order to pass the Legislature.

The first thing that happens to bills on the “floor” is introduction and referral to committee. When a Senator or a Representative introduces a bill, he sends it to the clerk of his house, who gives it a number and a title. This is the first reading of the bill.

Most of the work of Congress is carried out in Committees. The committee may decide the bill unwise or unnecessary and the table it, thus killing it at once. Or it may decide the bill is worthwhile and hold hearing to listen to facts and opinions presented by the experts. After members of the committee have debated the bill and perhaps offered amendments, a vote is taken, and if the vote is favorable, the bill is sent back to the house. The clerk reads the bill sentence by sentence to the house and this is known as the second reading.

It is on the second reading that the chamber discusses the merits of the legislation. It is here, too where members can offer amendments to the bill. In the House of Representatives, the time for debate is limited by a cloture rule, but there is no such restriction in the Senate.

The third reading is by title only and the bill is put to vote. The bill then goes to the other house of Congress, where it may be defeated or passed with or without amendments. If the bill is defeated, it dies. If it is passed with amendments, a joint Congressional committee must be appointed by both Houses to iron out the differences. After its final passage by both Houses, the bill is sent to the President. If he approves the bill, he signs it and the bill becomes a law. If the President disapproves, he vetoes the bill by refusing to sign it and sending it back to the house of origin with his reasons for the veto.

The objections are read and debated and a roll- call vote is taken. If the bill receives less than a two –thirds (2/3) vote, it is defeated. But if it receives a two – thirds vote or greater, it is sent to the other house for a vote. If that house also passed it by two – thirds vote, the president’s veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

If the president desires neither to sign nor to veto the bill, he may retain it for then days, after this time it automatically becomes a law without signature. However, if the Congress has adjourned within those ten days, the bill automatically killed, that process of indirect rejection being known as a pocket veto.

Task 9. Look at the chart and examine it

Task 10. Answer the following questions:

1. What does the legislative branch consist of?

2. What body has the power to introduce legislation?

3. Who offers legislation for consideration?

4. How many readings must bills have in each house in order to pass the Legislature?

5. What is the first reading of a bill?

6. In what case is the bill sent to the floor of the house?

7. What is the second reading?

8. What is the time for debate in the House of Representatives limited by?

9. What is the third reading?

10. When does the bill go to the other house of Congress?

11. In what case must a joint congressional committee be appointed?

12. What is the bill sent to the President for?

13. What does “to override the President veto” mean?

14. In what case does the bill automatically become a law?

15. What is “a pocket veto”?

Task 11. Pick out from the text all the word combinations with the following words and give their Ukrainian equivalents

Bill(s), legislation, committee(s), amendments, a vote.

Task 12. Read the sentences and match the highlighted words to their synonyms below

consent, a proposal, split, a bill, pass, debates, a nation, findings, consumes, set

1. Ukraine is seeking to become a country ruled by law.

2. Senators may debate a proposition for weeks or even months.

3. House discussions rarely last more than one day.

4. As in the House if Representative, any member of the Senate may introduce a legislative proposal.

5. Legislative business takes the largest share of the Senate’s time.

6. The Senate brings bills to the floor by unanimous approval.

7. The Speaker of the House may place time limits on committees.

8. Subcommittees report their results to the full committee.

9. If the House and Senate enact the same bill then it is sent to the President.

10. Bills may be referred to more than one committee and it may be divided so that parts are sent to different committees.

Task 13. Complete the following sentences with the words and phrases from the box

quorum	present	bill
members	legislation	vote
adjourn	majority	pass

1. The Speaker of the Houses of Representatives and the ________ leader decide what _________ will reach the floor and when.

2. Scheduling of ________ is the job of the Majority leader.

3. If the House and Senate _________ different bills they are sent to Conference Committee. Most major legislation goes to a Conference Committee.

4. A quorum call is a _______ to make sure that there are enough _______ present (218) to have a final vote. Is there is not a quorum, the House will ___________ or will send the Sergeant at Arms out to round up a missing members.

5. In the Senate 51 members must be ________, however, the Senate can conduct daily business without a __________ unless it is challenged by a point of order.

Task 14. Translate the following sentences:

1. The main task of each house of Congress is the same - to make laws.

2. The Senate usually allows unlimited debate on proposed legislation, whereas the House limits representatives to speaking for five minutes or less during a debate.

3. Leaders of the House of Representatives have more power than leaders in the Senate.

4. The Senate chamber is smaller and quieter than the House Chamber.

5. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to approve treaties.

6. The chamber must approve, change or reject all committee amendments before conducting a final passage vote.

7. Bills can be brought to the floor whenever a majority of the Senate chooses.

8. Members from each house form a conference committee and meet to work out the differences.

9. Washington has 49 legislative districts, each of which elects a Senator and two Representatives.

10. The legislative cycle is two years long. Within that two year cycle there are two kinds of legislative sessions: regular sessions and extraordinary or special sessions.