Constitutional US Law

Category: Legislative Process

  • Veto Power

    The Veto Power (Legislative Process)The veto provisions, the Supreme Court has told us, serve two functions. On the one hand, they ensure that "the President shall have suitable opportunity to consider the bills presented to him. . . . It is to safeguard the President's opportunity that Par…

  • Presentation of Resolutions

    Presentation of Resolutions (Legislative Process)The purpose of clause 3, the Orders, Resolutions, and Votes Clause (ORV Clause), is not readily apparent. For years it was assumed that the Framers inserted the clause to prevent Congress from evading the veto clause by designating as something other …

  • Presidential Approval

    Approval by the President (Legislative Process)The President is not restricted to signing a bill on a day when Congress is in session.1 He may sign within ten days (Sundays excepted) after the bill is presented to him, even if that period extends bey…

  • Revenue Bills

    Revenue Bills (Legislative Process)Insertion of this clause was another of the devices sanctioned by the Framers to preserve and enforce the separation of powers.1 It applies, in the context of the permissibility of Senate amendments to a House-passe…

  • Legislative Process

    Clauses 1-3. The Legislative Process, Constitutional wordingClause 1. All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.More about Legislative ProcessClause 2. Every Bill which shall have pas…

  • Legislative Veto

    The Legislative Veto (Presentation of Resolutions)Beginning in the 1930s, the concurrent resolution (as well as the simple resolution) was put to a new use&emdash;serving as the instrument to terminate powers delegated to the Chief Executive or to disapprove particular exercises of power by him or h…

  • Line Item Veto

    The Line Item Veto (Presentation of Resolutions)For more than a century, United States Presidents had sought the authority to strike out of appropriations bills particular items&emdash;to veto "line items" of money bills and sometimes legislative measures as well. Finally, in 1996, Congres…