"Public Law (United States)" redirects here. For other uses, see Public Law. An act of Congress (or Act of Congress) is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States and the Philippines. In the United States, acts of Congress are designated as either public laws, relating to the general public, or private laws, relating to specific institutions or individuals. Since 1957, all acts of Congress have been designated as "Public Law X-Y" or "Private Law X-Y," where X is the number of the Congress and Y refers to the sequential order of the bill (when it was enacted).[1] For example, P. L. 111-5 (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) was the fifth enacted public law of the 111th United States Congress. The word "act", as used in the term "act of Congress", is a common, not a proper noun, and therefore should not be capitalized. Despite deprecation by dictionaries and usage authorities,[2] some writers capitalize "act". This is likely a result of the more liberal use of capital letters in legal contexts, which has its roots in the 18th century capitalization of all nouns as is seen in the United States Constitution. "Act of Congress" is sometimes used in informal speech to indicate something for which getting permission is burdensome. For example, "It takes an act of Congress to get a building permit in this town". [edit] Promulgation (United States) An act adopted by simple majorities in both houses of Congress is promulgated, or given the force of law, in one of the following ways: - Signature by the President of the United States,
- Inaction by the President after ten days from reception (excluding Sundays) while the Congress is in session, or
- Reconsideration by the Congress after a presidential veto during its session. (A bill must receive a 2/3 majority vote in both houses to override a president's veto).
The President promulgates acts of Congress made by the first two methods. If an act is made by the third method, the presiding officer of the house that last reconsidered the act promulgates it.[3] Under the United States Constitution, if the President does not return a bill or resolution to Congress with objections before the time limit expires, then the bill automatically becomes an act; however, if the Congress is adjourned at the end of this period, then the bill dies and cannot be reconsidered (see pocket veto). In addition, if the President rejects a bill or resolution while the Congress is in session, a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Congress is needed for reconsideration to be successful. Promulgation in the sense of publishing and proclaiming the law is accomplished by the President, or the relevant presiding officer in the case of an overridden veto, delivering the act to the Archivist of the United States.[4] After the Archivist receives the act, he or she provides for its publication as a slip law and in the United States Statutes at Large.[5][6] Thereafter, the changes are published in the United States Code. An act of Congress that violates the Constitution may be declared unconstitutional by the courts. The judicial declaration of an act's unconstitutionality does not remove the law from the statute books; rather, it prevents the law from being enforced. However, future publications of the act are generally annotated with warnings indicating that the statute is no longer good law. [edit] See also [edit] References  United States Congress
(House of Representatives, Senate — 111th Congress — Members of the 111th United States Congress ) | | | Members | Members of Congress: Current ( by length of service, freshmen, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, delegates, longest-serving members ever) Senate: Current by seniority, Current by age, Dean of the Senate, former Senators, living former Senators, Earliest serving, Earliest living, Expelled/censured, Classes, House: Current by seniority, Dean of the House, former Representatives, oldest living, expelled, censured, and reprimanded Representatives, Women and minority members: African American members, Hispanic members, Asian Pacific American members, Congressional Member Organizations (caucuses), House Women, Senate Women List of congressional districts ( congressional apportionment, districts by area, obsolete districts) Privileges and benefits: Representatives' salaries, Senators' salaries, franking, congressional immunity | | | Party leaders | Senate: Majority and Minority Leaders, assistant party leaders, Democratic Caucus ( Chair, Secretary, Policy Committee Chair), Republican Conference ( Chair, Vice-Chair, Policy Committee Chair) House: Speaker ( list), Majority and Minority Leaders, party whips, Democratic Caucus, Republican Conference | | Offices,
officers,
& employees | Congress: Government Accountability Office ( Comptroller General), Congressional Budget Office, Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Police ( Capitol Police Board), Capitol Guide Service ( Capitol Guide Board), Office of Compliance, Library of Congress, Government Printing Office; Former: Office of Technology Assessment Senate constitutionally-mandated officers: President ( list) ( Vice President of the United States), President pro tempore ( list) Senate elected officers: President pro tempore, Secretary, Chaplain, Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper Senate employees: Curator, Historian, Librarian, Parliamentarian, pages Senate offices: Office of the Secretary ( Senate Library, Office of Senate Curator, Senate Historical Office) House elected officers: Clerk, Sergeant at Arms, Chief Administrative Officer, Chaplain. Former: Doorkeeper, Postmaster House employees: Historian, Parliamentarian, Reading Clerk, pages ( House Page Board) House offices: Office of the Law Revision Counsel, Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations, Interparliamentary Affairs | | Powers,
procedure
& customs | Powers: Constitutional authority under Article I ( Enumerated powers ( Taxing and Spending, Commerce, Dormant Commerce, Naturalization, Copyright, Declaration of War Clause); Implied powers: Necessary and Proper Clause); Impeachment; contempt of Congress; Power of enforcement Legislative and parliamentary procedure: Act of Congress ( list), rider, sponsorship, discharge petition, unanimous consent, suspension of the rules, joint resolution, concurrent resolution, appropriation bill, enrolled bill, engrossed bill, budget resolution, continuing resolution, House procedures, expulsion of members, joint session ( list), House closed sessions, Senate closed sessions, lame duck session, cloture, suspension of the rules, reconciliation, veto override Committees: Oversight, hearings, discharge petition, markup, chairman and ranking member, standing committees, select and special committees, joint committees, subcommittees, Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, conference committee, list of Senate committees, list of House committees Senate-specific: Presiding Officer, Jefferson's Manual, Standing Rules of the Senate, Riddick's Senate Procedure, seniority, classes of Senators, Traditions, VPs' tie-breaking votes, advice and consent, recess appointment, executive session, senatorial courtesy, Saxbe fix, nuclear option, filibuster, executive communication, secret hold, ratification of treaties, Senate Journal Items: Mace of the House, gavels | | | History | | | | Capitol Complex | Capitol: Dome, rotunda, crypt, National Statuary Hall, Capitol Visitor Center, The Apotheosis of Washington, Statue of Freedom Office buildings: House: Cannon, Ford, Longworth, Rayburn, O'Neill ( demolished); Senate: Dirksen, Hart, Russell; House Office Building Commission Other buildings and facilities: Botanic Garden, Old Supreme Court Chamber, Senate Staff Health and Fitness Facility, Capitol Power Plant, Old Senate Chamber, House Recording Studio | | | LoC & GPO | Library of Congress: Congressional Research Service ( reports), Law Library, THOMAS, Copyright Office ( Register of Copyrights), Poet Laureate, Jefferson Building, Adams Building, Madison Building; Government Printing Office: Public Printer of the United States, Congressional Record, Official Congressional Directory, United States Statutes at Large, United States Code | | | Media | | | | Miscellaneous | | | | Websites: House of Representatives | Senate | | |
