REGULATIONS: regulation of the principles or methods of the legislative procedure. REDISTRIBUTION: Redraw electoral boundaries to ensure equal representation. The Office of Legislative Legal Services is the impartial in-house legal counsel to the Colorado General Assembly, drafting laws, drafting laws, reviewing bylaws, commenting on actions taken, and serving as a source of legislative information for the public. The Office of Legislative Legal Services reports to the Legal Services Committee. Article I of the U.S. Constitution grants all legislative powers to a bicameral Congress: a House of Representatives and a Senate, which are the result of a “Great Compromise” that seeks to balance the effects of popular majorities with state interests. Our system currently provides for a two-year term for members of the House of Representatives from all 435 populated districts. In the Senate, the electors of each state elect two senators whose 6-year terms overlap (so that only one-third of the house is up for election in a given election cycle). We hope that the information on the Office of Legislative Legal Services website will be helpful to you. Here you will find information on bills from current and past sessions, as well as written documents on various legislative legal topics.
Contact information for our employees can also be found on the website. If you have any questions about the legislation or legislative process, please call us at 303-866-2045 or visit our main office in Room 091 of the State Capitol. SENATE: A legislative body; As a rule, the body has the smallest number of members in a bicameral legislature. DISTRIBUTION: determination of the constituencies in which members are elected. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: an untenable position that threatens a legislator`s ability to vote impartially on the basis of a private interest in a legislative matter. It is important to note that the Office of Legislative Legal Services is neither authorized nor resourced to provide legal advice or advice to individuals. As legal counsel to the Colorado General Assembly, the Office of Legislative Legal Services is responsible for providing legal advice to the legislature as an organization, but does not serve as legal counsel or advisor to citizens. (See also position paper on the solicitor-client relationship.) REPEAL: A method of repealing or rescinding legislation.
BILL STATUS: The status of a bill at any point in the legislative process. It can be in committee, in the calendar, in the other place, etc. SENIORITY: Recognition of previous legislative services. While the engine of legislative ideas and action is Congress itself, the president also has influence over the legislative process. The president recommends an annual budget for federal agencies and often proposes legislation. Perhaps more importantly, the veto power over laws can affect the content of bills passed by Congress. Because it is quite unusual for laws to be passed by presidential veto, Congress must generally consider the president`s position on proposed actions. Nine videos explain each of the joint legislative phases and the fact that the process by which a bill becomes law is rarely predictable. Presented by the Library of Congress, Congress.gov is the official information site on U.S. federal legislation. CHAMBER: Official room for the meeting of a legislative body. QUORUM: When a legislative body is constituted, the minimum number of members required to conduct its work.
TIMETABLE: (1) A printed list of proposals classified according to the agenda and intended for consideration by a Chamber. (2) Agenda for the daily legislative business of a House. FILIBUSTER: The lengthy discussion of a bill to delay legislation. THE SPEAKER: A person designated to preside over a legislative assembly. PROMULGATION CLAUSE: Clause of an act formally expressing legislative assent. It varies by state, but usually begins with “Be It Enacted “. ORDER OF BUSINESS: The established routine of daily procedure in the legislative body. The process by which an invoice becomes law is rarely predictable and can vary greatly from invoice to invoice. In fact, for many bills, the process will not follow the sequence of phases of Congress, which are often understood as a legislative process. The following presentations on specific topics provide a more detailed overview of each of the common steps a bill can take, but keep in mind that complications and variations are abundant in practice. LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY: A non-partisan body that provides services such as legal and legislative drafting, impartial research and information, or technical services. Committee members and staff spend much of their time drafting and reviewing legislative proposals, but committees are also involved in other activities.
Once the law is passed, Congress has the prerogative and responsibility to oversee the implementation of the policy, and its committees take the lead in these efforts. Both Houses give their committees considerable power and leeway to oversee and investigate public policy issues and their implications. TRANSFER LEGISLATION: legislation carried forward from the first year of a two-year period to the second year. The general procedure for the promulgation of laws is governed by the corresponding constitution. When a bill is first introduced by a sponsor, it is referred to committee. If the bill is to be studied by more than one committee, the first committee must refer it to the second committee. In order to take into account interested and affected groups and to remedy technical deficiencies, a bill may be amended. If the committee recommends that the bill be passed, it is placed on the Orders of the Day so that the entire legislature can act.
After a long and complex process of deliberation and debate, lawmakers vote on the final passage of the law. In bicameral legislatures (legislators divided into two bodies such as the Senate and House in the U.S. government), the bill must be passed in exactly the same form by both houses to become law. If the two Houses cannot agree on the final form of the bill, a complex compromise process will be attempted. Once the bill has been approved by both chambers and finalized, it must be signed by the executive. An executive branch can refuse to sign a bill and send it back to the legislature with a veto message explaining why. When the executive signs the law, it is tabled and becomes law. Ideas for legislation may come from legislators who have experience in a particular area, or legislators may copy laws because an idea that works well in one jurisdiction can be useful to its neighbors. Legislators also receive proposals from the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws; A conference of 250 lawyers appointed by governors to represent states.
The Council of State Governments, the American Law Institute, the American Bar Association, and many other organizations all produce model laws for legislation. The protection and promotion of the social and economic interests of certain groups is also the motivation for legislation. Interest groups usually participate in the legislative process through lobbyists. READING: Submission of a bill to one of the two chambers by reading the bill, its title or number. A formal procedure required by the Constitution and rules, indicating a step in the promulgation process. Most of the time, a bill has to go through three readings on three different days in each legislative body. In principle, both chambers have equal tasks and legislative functions. Only the House of Representatives can pass tax bills, and only the Senate confirms presidential appointments and approves treaties, but passing laws still requires both houses to separately approve the same bill in the same form before submitting it to the president. FLOOR: Part of the legislative chamber reserved for members and members of the Bureau of the Assembly or other persons to whom privileged access is granted. MAISON: generic term for a legislative body; usually the body of a bicameral legislature with the largest number of members; Abbreviation for House of Representatives or House of Representatives.
CENSORSHIP: A measure taken by a legislative body to formally reprimand an elected official for inappropriate or illegal acts committed by that official during his or her term of office. An act of defiance is an official condemnation for inappropriate or illegal acts committed by a public official in a position of trust. GENERAL ELECTION: An election in which candidates are chosen on an individual basis and not as representatives of a geographically defined single-man constituency. Major elections can be held at the legislative and presidential levels. In the United States of America, some states hold elections for seats in Congress when, for example, the entire population of a state warrants a single representative. ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE: Final end of an ordinary or extraordinary Parliament. Legislation refers to the drafting and adoption of laws by a legislative body as part of its legislative process. The legislative process involves evaluating, amending and voting on legislative proposals and deals with the words used in the bill to communicate the values, judgments and objectives of the proposal.