Clause 2
After both houses have passes a bill, it must then be sent to the President. The President must chose one of three courses of action: (1) sign the bill, thus enacting it as a law; (2) veto or reject the bill, which then returns it to the house in which it originated; or (3) not sign the bill and thus let it become a law after ten days (excluding Sundays) from its receipt from Congress have passed. This last option allows the President to express his disapproval over a bill without stopping it from becoming a law. At the end of a congressional session there is a fourth option: if the President does not act within ten days and Congress is adjourned within this period, the bill dies. This is called a "pocket veto." A veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each house.
Clause 3
A joint resolution that has been passed by the House and Senate and signed by the President carries the force of law. Joint resolutions that propose a Constitutional amendment are not submitted to the President, as a matter of custom. Concurrent and simple resolutions are not submitted to the President because they do not have the force of law.
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© Copyright 1997 Jonathan Chin & Alan Stern
