填空题 {{B}}Directions:{{/B}} You are going to read a list of headings and a text about the law-making process of the united States. Choose a heading from the list A-G that best fits the meaning of each numbered part of the text. The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There are two extra headings which you do not need to use.
A. Congressional Debate and Vote.
B. Veto over Legislation of Bills.
C. Committee Consideration.
D. Counteracting a Presidential Veto.
E. Passage in Both Chambers.
F. Introduction of Bills.
G. Functions of the Joint Committee.
The U. S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation. The process by which a proposed bill becomes a law can be very complex and take years.
{{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}Bills may originate in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, except that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives. Only Senators and Representatives (also known as Members of Congress) can introduce a bill in their respective chamber. When bills are introduced, they are given a bill number. The numbering system starts over with each session of Congress, and bill numbers run in chronological order according to when the bill is introduced. Bills in the House of Representatives are given the initial H. R. and Senate Bills are given the initial S. Thus, H. R. 1, would be the first bill introduced in a new session of Congress or the House of Representatives (a session of Congress lasts for two years).
{{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}After a bill is introduced, it is assigned to one or more committees in the chamber where it was introduced. A committee can amend, rewrite, recommend, or ignore the bill or report back to the full chamber with no recommendation. Committees typically also submit a report explaining their views of the bill when sending a bill to the full House or Senate.
{{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}Once the bill moves to the "floor" of either the House of Representatives or the Senate (again depending on where the bill was introduced), the entire chamber debates and may amend the bill. It then takes an open vote on the bill. For noncontroversial votes, the chamber will take a voice vote, but if any legislator asks for a roll call, then each member's vote is made separately and publicly.
{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}If the bill passes the first chamber, it is sent to the other chamber where the process described above is repeated. If the bill is amended in the second chamber, it must be sent back to the first Chamber because both chambers must agree on the amendments. If the two chambers cannot immediately agree on how to pass identical legislation, the bill will be sent to a joint committee (comprised of both House of Representatives and Senate members), which will attempt to work out a compromise among the different versions of the bill. If the joint committee is successful, the bill will be returned to both chambersfor a vote.
{{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}Once an identical bill passes both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the President who can do the following: (1) sign it and thus make it a law; (2) do nothing and after 10 days, if Congress stays in session, it becomes law; (3) do nothing and if Congress adjourns within 10 days, it does not become law; or (4) reject the bill by vetoing it and the bill will not become law unless the veto is overturned by Congress. Congress may overturn the President's veto by approving the bill again with at least a two thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. The bill then becomes a law despite the President's veto.
The state legislatures act in much the same way, although the process for enacting a bill within the legislatures is often more streamlined. Every state legislature, except Nebraska's, has two chambers. Most governors have vetor Power over state legislation, analogous to the veto power of the President.