When both chambers agree on identical legislation, the measure is sent to the enrolling clerk of the chamber which originated the legislation together with the engrossed versions of the House and Senate legislation and a copy of the conference report as adopted by both chambers. An enrolled copy of the final legislation is prepared on parchment paper and signed first by the Speaker and then by the President of the Senate (or their designees). Enrolled legislation refers to legislation that has been approved in identical form by both the House of Representatives and the Senate (two engrossed items). Either the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate (depending on which house originated the legislation) must certify that the final copy of the legislation is correct. A clerk of the House or Senate then delivers a copy of the enrolled legislation to the White House and obtains a receipt. The date on this receipt begins the 10-day period provided by the Constitution during which the President must act on the measure.
If the President approves the legislation, he writes "approved" on it and signs it. In the alternative, the President can take no action during the 10-day period. So long as Congress is in session during this period, the legislation automatically becomes law. If, however, Congress is not in session during this period and the President does not act, the measure fails to become law. This is known as a pocket veto.
The President may also disapprove the legislation by returning it to the chamber in which it originated together with a statement of his objections. This act of disapproval is called a veto and the statement containing the President's objections is called a veto message. Under the Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the President may not veto only a portion of the legislation. The President can only veto an entire bill. The veto message is sent to the chamber that originated the bill.
The chamber receiving the veto message can override the veto by a vote of two-thirds of the Members present and voting. If this happens, two-thirds of the members of the other chamber present and voting must also vote to override the veto. Only then can the measure become law despite the President's objections. Once approved, the legislation becomes a law and takes effect either immediately or upon the date specified in the law.
The measure is published as a public law and is assigned a public law number. The first measure in a Congress to become a public law is assigned the number "1," preceded by the number of the Congress (i.e., Public Law No. 108-1). All subsequent measures in that Congress which become law are numbered sequentially thereafter. This version of the law is known technically as the slip law. In addition, it will be more formally printed as part of the United States Statutes at Large (a permanent collection of all U.S. laws) and is usually codified as part of the United States Code (where laws are arranged by subject).
Next Chapter - Conclusion
