Pocket Veto (CongressionalGlossary.com)
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Pocket Veto
The act of the president in withholding his approval of a bill after Congress has adjourned. When Congress is in session, a bill becomes law without the president’s signature if he does not act upon it within 10 days, excluding Sundays, from the time he gets it (U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 7). But if Congress adjourns sine die within that 10-day period, the bill will not become law even if the president does not formally veto it.
The Pocket Veto Explained
Also see Adjournment Sine Die; Congress by the Numbers; Veto; Congressional Procedure; § 6.290 Presidential Action on Enacted Measures, § 6.292 Vetoes and Veto Overrides: Presidential Clout, in Congressional Deskbook.
More
- Summary of Bills Vetoed, 1789-present, Senate
- “The Pocket Veto: Its Current Status,” CRS Report RL30909 (31-page PDF
) - “The Presidential Veto and Congressional Procedure,” CRS Report 98-156 (7-page PDF)
- “Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: An Overview,” CRS Report RS22188 (8-page PDF)
- “Presidential Vetoes, 1789-Present: A Summary Overview,” CRS Report 98-148 (5-page PDF)
- “Congressional Overrides of Presidential Vetoes,” CRS Report 98-157 (7-page PDF)
- Pocket veto – Wikipedia
Courses
- Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop
- Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments
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- Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking Series, a Nine-Course series on CD
Publications
Legislative Drafter’s Deskbook: A Practical Guide
Pocket Constitution
Citizen’s Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials: A Guide for Citizen Lobbyists and Grassroots Advocates
Congressional Procedure
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