Module VIII

Lawmak1ng process in great britain and the usa

Task 1. Vocabulary. a)Consult a dictionary to read & to translate correctly. Practice your pronunciation. b)Get ready for the dictation upon the vocabulary.

Legislation Bill Occasion Debate Committee Report Amendment Event

To return To amend To consider To alter Monarch Assent Consent Senate sequence

Finally Nowadays merely To prevail To veto To initiate To refer Hearing To sign

Persistent Reigning Unpopular similar To organize To approve To shelve To confer To examine

c) Write out the key words & give their translation.

d) Give derivatives of the words from the vocabulary list ( not less than 5 ).

e. g.: to alter (v) змінювати – alternation (n) зміна – alternate (adj) змінний – alternative (n, adj) альтернатива, альтернативний

e) Give synonyms/antonyms to the words from the vocabulary list

e. g.:

Word To return

Synonym To send back

Antonym To take away, to deprive

Task 2. Read & translate the following texts.

Lawmak1ng process in great britain

New legislation in Britain usually starts in the House of Lords. In each house a bill is considered in three stages, called readings. The first reading is purely formal, to introduce tile bill. The second reading is usually the occasion for debate. After the second reading the bill is examined in detail by a committee.

The bill is then returned to one of the houses for the report stage, when it can be amended. If passed after its third reading, it goes to the other house. Amendments made to a bill by the House of Lords must be considered by the Commons. If the House of Commons does not agree, the bill is altered, and sent back to the Lords. In the event of persistent disagreement between the two houses, Commons prevails.

Finally, the bill goes to the reigning monarch for the royal assent. Nowadays the royal assent is merely a formality. In theory the queen could still refuse her consent, but the last monarch to use this power was Queen Anne, who vetoed the unpopular Scottish Militia Bill in 1707.

Lawmak1ng process in the united states

The US Congress, the lawmaking arm of the federal government, consists of two houses: the House or Representatives and the Senate. Any congressman in either house, or the president, may initiate new legislation.

The proposed legislation, or bill, is first introduced in the House of Representatives, and then referred to one of the standing committees, which organizes hearings on it and may approve, amend or shelve the draft. If the committee passes the bill, it is considered by the House of Representatives as a whole. If passed there, it goes to the Senate for a similar sequence of committee hearings and general debate.

In cases of disagreement, the House of Representatives and the Senate confer together. Once passed by the Senate as a whole, the bill has to be examined by two more standing committees - the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and is then signed by the speaker of the House and by the president of the Senate.

Finally, it must be signed by the president, who has the right to veto it. If the president vetoes a bill, it can still become a law, but only if it is passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress.

Task 3. Multiple Choice:

1. New legislation in Britain starts in:

   1. the House of Commons

   2. the House of Lords

   3. the royal family

2. The second reading is the occasion for:

   1. debate

   2. veto of the reigning monarch

   3. amendments

3. If the legislation passed after its third reading, it goes to:

   1. one of the houses

   2. the monarch

4. Finally, the bill goes:

   1. back to the House of Lords

   2. back to the House of Commons

   3. to the reigning monarch

5. The lawmaking body of the USA is:

   1. the president

   2. the Congress

   3. the Supreme Court

6. The proposed legislation is first introduced in;

   1. the Oval Cabinet

   2. the House of Representatives

   3. the Senate

7. In cases of disagreement:

   1. the speaker of the House examines the bill

   2. the president signs the bill

   3. the House of Representatives & the Senate confer together

8. Finally, the bill must be signed by:

   1. the president

   2. the speaker

   3. any congressman

Task 4. a) Answer the questions. b)Ask your own questions ( not less than 5 ).

1. In which House does new legislation usually start?

a) in Great Britain

b) in the USA

2. Name the legislative body

a) in Great Britain

b) in the USA

3. Who has the right of veto?

a) in Great Britain

b) in the USA

Task 5. Put words in the correct order.

1. Is, for, reading, the, usually, occasion, the, second, debate.

2. Assent, the, royal, for, to, finally, bill, goes, the, monarch, reigning, the.

3. House, either, the, or, new, president, initiate, may, legislation, in, congressman, any.

4. The, assent, merely, is, formality, a, nowadays, royal.

5. Representatives, of, cases, together, Senate, and, the, House, in, disagreement, the, confer, of.

Task 6. Translate into Ukrainian using both Active & Passive Voice where it is possible.

1. In GB the proposed legislation, or bill, is considered both in the House of Lords and in the House of Commons.

2. The House of Lords initiate a new bill in Great Britain.

3. The reigning monarch has the right of veto in GB.

4. The second reading is usually the occasion for debate.

5. The House of Commons can alter the bill if it doesn’t agree.

6. One of the committees of the House of Representatives may approve, amend or shelve the draft.

7. If the bill passed in the House of Representatives as a whole, it goes to the Senate for a sequence of hearings and general debate.

8. The speaker of the House and the president of the Senate sign the bill after the Senate and committee hearings.

9. The president must sign or veto the bill.

Task 7. Translate into English using both Active & Passive Voice where it is possible.

1. Обидві палати розглядають законопроект протягом трьох етапів, які звуться читаннями.

2. Законопроект презентується на першому суто формальному читанні.

3. Законопроект зазвичай обговорюється на другому читанні.

4. Комітет детально розглядає закон після другого читання.

5. Протягом етапу звітування закон може бути змінено в одній з палат.

6. Палата Громад повинна розглянути поправки в законі, зроблені Палатою Лордів.

7. Якщо Палата Громад не погоджується, вона змінює закон і повертає його до Палати Лордів.

8. Право вето було востаннє застосовано королевою Анною в 1707.

9. В США новий законопроект може бути представлений і започаткований будь-яким конгресменом.

10. В США законопроект спершу представляється в Палаті Представників, потім він розглядається в одному з комітетів, де його може бути затверджено, змінено або відкладено.

11. У випадку незгоди, закон розглядається Палатою Представників і Сенатом.

12. Спікер Палати Представників та президент Сенату повинні підписати закон.

13. Зрештою, президент США повинен або підписати закон, або ветувати його.

14. Закон набирає чинності, якщо його підтримують дві третини більшості в обох палатах Конгресу.

Task 8. a) Give the English equivalents to the following words & word combinations. b )Learn the equivalents by heart & be ready to give them by ear ( the recommended rate of reply is up to 5 seconds ).

Законотворчий процес; перше/друге/третє читання; детально; етап звітування; вносити поправки; повертати ( відсилати назад ); тривала незгода; королівський дозвіл; теоретично; відмовити у дозволі.

Федеральний уряд; організовувати слухання; затверджувати закон; відкладати закон; розглядати законопроект як ціле; подібна послідовність; загальне обговорення; мати право вето; ветувати закон.

Task 9. Work in groups. Compare the lawmaking process in GB & in the USA. Find as many differences (similarities) in the lawmaking in GB and the USA as possible.

Task 10. Make an outline of the text & be ready to retell the text according to it.

Task 1. Read the text and examine the chart.