A bill is a proposed new law introduced within a legislature that has not been
ratified, adopted, or received assent. Once a bill
has become law, it is thereafter an act; but in popular usage (or even in moments of scholarly
imprecision) the two terms are often treated interchangeably. Bills have a sponsor and sometimes cosponsors.
Types of bills
Bills can be divided into:
- public bills, which apply to the general population
- private bills, which only apply to a single person or to a select group of people. If a
private bill is punitive in nature, it is called a bill of attainder.
- hybrid bills, which combine elements of both public and private bills. Note that the
concept of hybrid bills is not widely recognised outside the United Kingdom (in particular, it is expressly not recognised in
Canada).
- local bills, which affect only a certain locality, and are often proposed by local government to the legislature
Sometimes other classifications of bills are used. For example, under many constitutions particular rules apply to
appropriation bills. Commonly, in a bicameral
system, the weaker chamber will have reduced powers with respect to appropriation bills than it has with other bills.
Numbering of bills in the United States
In the United States, bills can have the same number because every two years, at the start of odd-numbered years, the
United States Congress recommences numbering from 1. Each two-year session is
called a Congress.[1]
Assent
In most constitutional systems, legislation once passed by the legislature requires the assent of the executive to become law (such as the Monarch, President or Governor).
In parliamentary systems this is normally a formality (since the executive is under the de facto control of the legislature),
although in rare cases assent may be refused or reserved.
In presidential systems, the power of assent is used as a political tool by the executive; then it is known as a
veto. In presidential systems, the legislature often has the power to override the veto of the
executive by means of a supermajority.
In constitutional monarchies, certain matters may be covered by the royal
prerogative (for instance in the United Kingdom these include as payments to the
Royal Family, succession to the Throne, and the Monarch's exercise of their prerogative powers). The legislature may have
significantly less power to introduce such bills, and may require the approval of the monarch or government of the day.
Criticism
Many criticize the size and quantity of the bills passed in United States Congress. Bills like the Patriot Act are hundreds of pages long and are passed without copies being made available to even the
Congressmen who are going to vote on the bill. Because of this, Downsize DC has
proposed legislation called the Read the Bills Act to require each house of Congress,
in the presence of a quorum, to read any bill that they vote yes on.
See also
External links
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New Zealand
United Kingdom
United States
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
