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 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 closure 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 ten 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 3. 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 4. 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.