Language practice and comprehension check

useful information

Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, but acquitted by the Senate. Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached. Read more: Impeachment History — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/impeach.html#ixzz1k5dNXVQm

Grand jury is a panel of citizens that is convened by a court to decide whether it is appropriate for the government to indict (proceed with a prosecution against) someone suspected of a crime.

An American institution since the colonial days, the grand jury has long played an important role in Criminal Law. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that a person suspected of a federal crime cannot be tried until a grand jury has determined that there is enough reason to charge the person. Review by a grand jury is meant to protect suspects from inappropriate prosecution by the government, since grand jurors are drawn from the general population. It has been criticized at times as failing to serve its purpose.

TERMS AND NOTIONS

Qualification n. – the possession of qualities or properties (such as fitness or capacity) inherently or legally necessary to make one eligible for a position or office, or to perform a public duty or function.

Apportionment n.– distribution of legislative seats among districts; esp., the allocation of congressional representatives among the states based on population, as required by the 14^th Amendment. The claim that a state is denying the right of representation to its citizens, through improper apportionment presents a justiciable issue.

Standing rule – a rule that relates to an organization’s administration or operation rather than to its procedure in meetings. • For example, a rule about the time and place of regular meetings, or about a committee’s jurisdiction, is a standing rule.

Revenue bill – a bill that levies or raises taxes. Also termed money bill.

Appropriations bill – a bill that authorizes governmental expenditures.

TASK I a) Look up the following words and word combinations from the text in a dictionary:

Active Vocabulary

term of office

terminate v.

to call an election

authorize v.

succeed v. successor n.

constituent n.

rule v., n.

ruling n.

(in)valid adj.

pursuant (to sth.) adj.

to adopt rules

to present charges

serve v.

b) Use the active vocabulary to complete the sentences:

1. Membership in the Law Society ... upon written notice of resignation or judicial appointment.

2. “Your Argument is ...” is a popular catchphrase often used as a playful counter-response in online discussions.

3. In an interview with Matt Lauer in the beginning of his presidency, Barack Obama said he should only ... one term if he could not fix the economy.

4. The House of Representatives refused to ... U.S. involvement in the NATO mission in Libya on Friday but also rejected an effort to cut off partial support for the mission.

5. ... of office refers to the length of time that an elected official serves as a member of the governing body.

6. Being an elected representative means representing … .

7. An Ecuadorian appeals court upheld an $8.6 billion ... against Chevron on claims it had a detrimental impact on Amazonian communities.

8. The power to review a decision … to this Division  may be exercised only at the request of  the accused person.

9. Kim Jong Un was extolled Monday by North Korean state media as the "great ... " to his father, who was referred to as the "Dear Leader," and his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

10. The International Criminal Court will ... charges Thursday in the first phase of hearings against prominent Kenyans for their alleged roles in the violence of the aftermath of the disputed 2007 elections.

11. Usually, according to parliamentary law, the head of government must regularly ... an election, but it is otherwise within their discretion when to drop the writ, up to the time when the parliament has served its full term.

12. The U.S. is planning to … Carney's tougher banking rules.

TASK II Use the text to complete the following statements:

1. The terms of both Senators from a particular state…

2. Of the two Senators from a state…

3. If a Senator dies or resigns during the term…

4. The Constitution limits the number of Representatives to…

5. The Court ruled in Kirkpatrick v. Preisler that…

6. A law enacted in 1967 abolished…

7. An "at-large" election is…

8. Unlike the Senate…

9. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives…

10. In the matter of impeachments…

TASK III Complete the table with appropriate words:

Noun	Verb	Adjective	Adverb
1. 2.	-	supreme
	continue
power		1. 2.
		governmental
	refer
		legislative
1. 2. 3.	elect
allocation			–

TASK IV Use the text to provide information for the table below:

	Senate	House of Representatives
1. Minimum age
2. Minimum years of citizenship
3. Term of office
4. In case of resignation or death during the term
5. Number of members
6. Rules of proceedings
7. Legislative functions
8. Role in presidential elections
9. In the matter of impeachments

TASK V Match the words on the left with their synonyms on the right:

1. commence v. 2. accordance n. 3. permanent adj. 4. temporary adj. 5. entire adj. 6. permit v. 7. prerogative n.

a provisional b. exclusive right, privilege c. agreement, conformity d.. to begin, to start e. exclusive f. whole, perfect g. to authorize, to allow

8. sole adj. h. lasting, stable

TASK VI Answer the following questions:

1. What does the 17^th Amendment stipulate?

2. What qualifications are set for Senators and Representatives?

3. What is an “at-large” election?

4. .How is the vacancy filled when a Senator (Representative) dies or resigns during the term?

5. How long does a Congress last?

6. What kinds of bills are the prerogative of the House of Representatives?

7. What are the functions of the Senate?

8. What is the role of Congress in presidential elections?

TASK VII Agree or disagree with the following quotations:

1. Law makers should not be law breakers. Proverb

2. A government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take everything you have.

Gerald Ford, 1913 – 38^th President of the USA

Тext 3 SOURCES OF LEGISLATION

Sources of ideas for legislation are unlimited and proposed drafts of bills originate in many diverse quarters. Primary among these is the idea and draft conceived by a Member. This may emanate from the election campaign during which the Member had promised, if elected, to introduce legislation on a particular subject. The Member may have also become aware after taking office of the need for amendment to or repeal of an existing law or the enactment of a statute in an entirely new field.

In addition, the Member's constituents, either as individuals or through citizen groups, may avail themselves of the right to petition and transmit their proposals to the Member. The right to petition, is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Many excellent laws have originated in this way, as some organizations, because of their vital concern with various areas of legislation, have considerable knowledge regarding the laws affecting their interests and have the services of legislative draftspersons for this purpose. Similarly, state legislatures may "memorialize" Congress to enact specified federal laws by passing resolutions to be transmitted to the House and Senate as memorials. If favorably impressed by the idea, a Member may introduce the proposal in the form in which it has been submitted or may redraft it. In any event, a Member may consult with the Legislative Counsel of the House or the Senate to frame the ideas in suitable legislative language and form.

In modern times, the "executive communication" has become a prolific source of legislative proposals. The communication is usually in the form of a message or letter from a member of the President's Cabinet, the head of an independent agency, or the President himself, transmitting a draft of a proposed bill to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate. Despite the structure of separation of powers, Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution imposes an obligation on the President to report to Congress from time to time on the "State of the Union" and to recommend for consideration such measures as the President considers necessary and expedient. Many of these executive communications follow the President's message to Congress on the state of the Union. The communication is then referred to the standing committee or committees having jurisdiction of the subject matter of the proposal. The chairman or the ranking minority member of the relevant committee usually introduces the bill promptly either in the form in which it was received or with desired changes. This practice is usually followed even when the majority of the House and the President are not of the same political party, although there is no constitutional or statutory requirement that a bill be introduced to effectuate the recommendations. The committee or one of its subcommittees may also decide to examine the communication to determine whether a bill should be introduced. The most important of the regular executive communications is the annual message from the President transmitting the proposed budget to Congress. The President's budget proposal, together with testimony by officials of the various branches of the government before the Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate, is the basis of the several appropriation bills that are drafted by the Committee on Appropriations of the House.

Many of the executive departments and independent agencies employ legislative counsels who are charged with the drafting of bills. These legislative proposals are forwarded to Congress with a request for their enactment.

The drafting of statutes is an art that requires great skill, knowledge, and experience. In some instances, a draft is the result of a study covering a period of a year or more by a commission or committee designated by the President or a member of the Cabinet. The Administrative Procedure Act and the Uniform Code of Military Justice are two examples of enactments resulting from such studies. In addition, congressional committees sometimes draft bills after studies and hearings covering periods of a year or more.