1. In which House does new legislation usually start?

a) in Great Britain

b) in the USA

2. What is a bill? How does a bill become a law?

a) in Great Britain

b) in the USA

3. Who has the right of veto?

a) in Great Britain

b) in the USA

4. Find as many differences (similarities) in the lawmaking in GB and the USA as possible

1. Read and translate the text

Making New Laws: Bills and Acts

The functions of Parliament are: making laws; providing money for the government through taxation; examining government policy, administration arid spending; debating political questions.

Every year Parliament passes about a hundred laws directly, by making Acts of Parliament. Because this can be a long process, Parliament sometimes passes a very general law and leaves a minister to fill in the details. In this way, it indirectly passes about 2,000 additional rules and regulations.

No new law can be passed unless it has completed a number of stages in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The monarch also has to give a Bill the Royal Assent, which is now just a formality. Since 1707 no sovereign has refused a Bill whilst a law is still going through Parliament it is called a Bill. There are two main types of Bills - Public Bills which deal with matters of public importance and Private Bills which deal with local matters and individuals.

Public and Private Bills are passed through Parliament in much the same way. When a Bill is introduced in the House of Commons, it receives a formal first reading. It is then printed and read a second time, when it is debated but not amended. After the second reading the Bill is referred to a committee, either a special committee made up of certain members of the House, or to the House itself as a committee. Here it is discussed in detail and amended, if necessary. The Bill is then presented for a third reading and is debated. If the Bill is passed by the Commons it goes to the Lords, and provided it is not rejected by them, it goes through the same procedure as in the Commons. After receiving the Royal Assent the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament. In order to be enforced, it must be published in Statute form, becoming a part of Statute Law. The power of the Lords to reject a Bill has been severely curtailed. A money Bill must be passed by the Lords without amendment within a month of being presented in the House. The Act of 1949 provides that any Public Bill passed by the Commons in two successive parliamentary sessions and rejected both times by the Lords, may be presented for the Royal Assent, even though it has not been passed by the Lords. The Lords, therefore, can only delay the passage of a Public Bill, they cannot reject it.

2. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following expressions.

- абсолютна більшість;

- відхилювати законопроект;

- висунути законопроект;

- оподаткування;

- внести поправку в законопроект;

- обговорювати політичні питання;

- королівська санкція;

- асигнувати гроші для потреб уряду;

- прийняти закон;

- обговорювати законопроект;

- детально обговорити;

- направити законопроект на розгляд;

- відкласти ухвалення закону.

3. Explain the meanings of the following expressions from the text.

- Statute Law;

- to be published in Statute form;

- to receive a formal reading;

- to enforce an Act of Parliament;

- to be severely curtailed;

- money Bill.

4. Answer the questions.

1. What is the difference between a Bill and an Act of Parliament?

2. What are the two types of Bills? Discuss the difference between them.

3. How many readings should a Bill receive to become an Act?

4. What is the role of the House of Lords in law-making process?

5. Which of the two Houses of Parliament has more power?

6. How does a Bill go through Parliament? How efficient and democratic is process, in your opinion?

1. Read and translate the text