- For other uses, see bill.
A bill is a proposed new law introduced within a legislature that has not been ratified, adopted, or received assent. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation Ratification is the act of giving official sanction or approval to a formal document such as a treaty or constitution The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of Lawmaking by formally assenting to an 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. A statute is a formal written enactment of a Legislative authority that governs a Country, State, City, or County. Bills have a sponsor and sometimes cosponsors.
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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. In the Legislative process, a public bill is a Bill which proposes a Law of general application throughout the Jurisdiction in which A private bill is an act considered or acted upon by a Legislature that helps a single individual group of individuals or corporate entity by affording relief from another If a private bill is punitive in nature, it is called a bill of attainder. A bill of attainder (also known as an act or writ of Attainder) is an act of Legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of
- hybrid bills, which combine elements of both public and private bills. A hybrid bill is a Public bill which affects the private interests of a particular person or organization 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. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. For example, under many constitutions particular rules apply to appropriation bills. An appropriation bill or supply bill is a legislative motion ( Bill) which authorizes the Government to spend money Commonly, in a bicameral system, the weaker chamber will have reduced powers with respect to appropriation bills than it has with other bills. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral
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. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Each two-year span is called a Congress, and each Congress is divided into two year-long periods called sessions. [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). Offer and acceptance analysis is a traditional approach in Contract law used to determine whether an agreement exists between two parties
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. A veto, Latin for "I forbid" is used to Denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a certain piece of Legislation. In presidential systems, the legislature often has the power to override the veto of the executive by means of a supermajority. A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple Majority in order to have
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 Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority privilege and immunity recognised in Common law and sometimes in Civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The legislature may have significantly less power to introduce such bills, and may require the approval of the monarch or government of the day.
See also
- List of legislatures by country (most legislature articles have information on their processes)
- White paper
External links
Hong Kong
New Zealand
United Kingdom
- BBC Parliament Guide:
United States
- How a law is made. This is a list of legislatures by country, whether parliamentary or congressional, that act as a plenary general assembly of representatives A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that often addresses problems and how to solve them From the North Carolina General Assembly
- How a bill becomes a law - related information
References
North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United StatesDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic