From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Official Title / Short Title / Popular Title / Popular Name Nat King Cole — Mona Lisa Official Title: Statement of a measure’s subject and purpose, which appears before the enacting clause. Popular Title: The informal, unofficial name or the short title by which a … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Amending the Constitution How to Amend the U.S. Constitution One of the ways in which federalism is most clearly expressed in the Constitution is in the process for its amendment. Nine of the thirteen original states were required to ratify the … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Custody of the Papers / Papers Custody of the Papers: Possession of an engrossed measure and certain related basic documents that the two houses produce as they try to resolve their differences over the measure. To reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Enacting Clause Key phrase in bills beginning “Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives . . .” A successful motion to strike it from legislation kills the measure. 1 USC § 101 specifies: The enacting clause of all Acts of Congress shall … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Presidential Signature / Presidential Signing Statements A proposed law passed by Congress must be presented to the president, who then has 10 days to approve or disapprove it (Article. I. Section. 7.). The president signs bills he supports, making them law. He vetoes a bill … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Journal photo credit: grongar The official record of the proceedings of the House and Senate. The Journal records the actions taken in each chamber, such as motions agreed to and votes taken, but unlike the Congressional Record, it does not include the substantially verbatim report … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Enrolled Bill / Enrolled Measure The final official copy of a bill that has been passed by both chambers in identical form. It is certified by an officer of the house of origin (clerk of the House or secretary of the Senate) and then sent … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Statutes at Large (Stat.) photo credit: specialklikethecereal A chronological arrangement of the laws enacted in each session of Congress. Though indexed, the laws are not arranged by subject matter, and there is no indication of how they changed previously enacted laws. The United States Statutes … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms U.S. Code (U.S.C.) (USC) photo credit: AngryJulieMonday Following the assignment of a public-law number and statutory citation, and the publication of a slip law, the House of Representatives’ Office of Law Revision Counsel, working largely under the auspices of the Speaker of the House, organizes … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Conference Report photo credit: ☺ Lee J Haywood The compromise product negotiated by the conference committee. The “conference report,” which is printed and available to Senators, is submitted to each chamber for its consideration, such as approval or disapproval. The conference report contains a formal … Read more