NB! Each of the houses in the Congress has the right to introduce any bill on any subject. Important bills can be suggested by the President himself or by other executive officials.
2) The committee stage
NB! After the introduction the bill is sent to a special committee for discussion and making some changes if needed. If approved the bill is passed into the house.
3) Debates & Voting
NB! When the bill is back to the house where it has been introduced, it is being debated and afterwards voted to approve or defeat it. If approved it is sent to the next stage.
4) The Second House (HofR or the Senate)
NB! The bill goes through the same proceedings as the ones mentioned above.
5) The President’s Approval
NB! The bill gets to this stage only after having been passed by both houses. When signed by the President it becomes a Law. However, the President may veto a bill, but it can be reproved by the 2/3 votes in both houses. After this the bill becomes a law known as an Act of Congress.
NB! The bills introduced by the White House or the Cabinet usually go through all the stages without any difficulty.
D) Executive Branch – the President, the Federal Government, State and Local Governments
| The President | |
| General information | Head of the executive branch |
| Official Residence | The White House, Washington D.C. |
| How to become the President of the US? | One must be: @ at least 35 years old @ a resident of the US for 14 years @ a national born citizen |
| Elections * | every 4 years (the 1st Tuesday after the first Monday in November) |
| Term | 4 years (the 22nd Amendment (1951) ensured that the President can serve only 2 terms) |
| Succession to the Presidency |   the President the Vice-President the Speaker of the HofR the President pro tempore the Secretary of State the Secretary of Treasury the Secretary of Defence other Cabinet Ministers
|
| Functions of the President | @ head of the Federal Government (legislative role) ü recommends laws ü approves/ vetoes a bill ü requests money for the FG operations @ head of the political party @ chief executive officer ü issues executive orders (have the force of a law) ü influence public opinion @ the commander-in-chief of the armed forces @ appoints heads of the executive departments & agencies @ appoints high-ranking officials (ministers, judges of any level) @ chooses the heads of the executive committees @ represents the States on the international arena @ grants full/conditional pardon to anyone accused of breaking the federal law |
* NB! Presidential Elections
The elections of a president in the USA is a peculiar thing because people do not choose (vote) for the candidate for the presidency directly. Instead the states elect “the presidential electors”, the number of which corresponds to the number of the Senators and Representatives from the corresponding state. These electors are selected by the special party machines. The candidate with the highest number of votes in each state wins all the electoral votes of the state. The candidates usually form the Electoral College, which is usually made up from the electors of all 50 states + 3 electors from the District of Columbia (total number is 538), but the College never meets as a body. After the election the electors gather in the state capitals and cast their votes for the candidate with the largest number votes in their respective states. To become the President candidate for the presidency must get 270 votes. In case none of the candidate wins the majority, the members of the HofR vote for the candidates and each state and District of Colombia is given only one vote. The presidential term starts with the special ceremony on the steps of the Capitol, when (s)he publicly takes an oath of the office. It usually happens on January 20 the next year after the elections.
Executive Departments (ministries)
Today there are 15 departments which deal with national and international affairs. The heads (ministers) of these departments, chosen by the President and approved by the Senate, form the Cabinet. Besides, there are over 50 agencies, which have certain responsibilities and duties. They are directly accountable to the President.