Law-making procedure in the USA

 

       The Congress of the United States is the highest lawmaking body in the United States and one of the oldest national legislatures in the world. The U.S. Congress consists of two houses—the Senate and the House of Representatives. A member of the Senate is referred to as a senator, and a member of the House of Representatives is called a representative or congressman or congresswoman.

       The general process for making a bill into a law is described in the Constitution.

       The first step in the legislative process is the introduction of a bill to the Congress. Bills originate from several different sources: from individual members of the Congress, from a member of a constituent or a group of constituents, from one or more state legislatures, or the President or his administration, but only members of the Congress can introduce legislation.

       After being introduced, a bill is referred to the appropriate committee for review. There are 17 Senate committees, with 70 subcommittees, and 23 House committees, with 104 subcommittees. A bill is first considered in a subcommittee, where it may be accepted, amended, or rejected. If the members of the subcommittee agree to move a bill forward, it is reported to the full committee, where the process is repeated again. If the full committee votes to approve the bill, it is reported to the House or the Senate.

       When the bill comes up for consideration, the House has a very structured debate process. Each member who wishes to speak only has a few minutes, and the number and kind of amendments are usually limited. In the Senate, debate on most bills is unlimited — Senators may speak to issues other than the bill under consideration during their speeches, and any amendment can be introduced. A bill must pass both houses of the Congress before it goes to the President for consideration. Once debate has ended and any amendments to the bill have been approved, the full membership will vote for or against the bill.

       The bill is then sent to the President. When receiving a bill from the Congress, the President has several options. If the President agrees with the bill, he or she may sign it into law. If the President disagrees with the bill, he may veto it and send it back to the Congress. The Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds vote of each chamber, at which point the bill becomes law and is printed.

 

2. Выразите согласие/несогласие со следующими утверждениями, используя ту или иную речевую модель.

Model: a) I fully agree with the statement.

b) I am afraid, I can’t agree with it.

 

1. The Senate is the main legislative body of the USA.

2. The Constitution of the USA sets forth the general process for making a bill into law.

3. The first step in the legislative process is voting.

4. In the House of Representatives, debate on most bills is unlimited.

5. All bill must pass both houses of the Congress before it goes to the President.

6. When receiving a bill from the Congress, the President has to sign it.

7. The Congress has no right to override the presidential veto.

3. Изучите схему принятия закона в США. Сравните с информацией из текста 2. Найдите и опишите этапы законодательного процесса, которые не раскрыты в тексте 2.

 

public hearing - открытые слушания (meeting or session of a Senate, House, Joint, or Special Committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation)

conference committee - комитет по согласованию расхождений, согласительный комитет

floor action - пленарная акция (once a bill reaches the floor, it can be debated and amended before coming to a vote)

highway act — основной (итоговый) проект закона

 

4. Посмотрите на картинки. Изучите законы, которые действуют в разных штатах США. LOONY * LAWS.

                        

                    

        

 

5. Ответьте на вопросы.         

 

1. Can you figure out why each law has been passed?

2. What conditions in society might have led to its passing?

3. Are there laws today that may be considered loony in the future?

6. Напишите «безумный» закон или правило, которому необходимо следовать дома или в университете. Объясните, почему вы считаете его таковым. Спросите других студентов, что они думают о нем.

Note:

* loony: сумасшедший, безумный, бредовый