MAKING NEW LAWS: BILLS AND ACTS

The functions of Parliament are: making laws; providing money for the government through taxation; examining government policy, administration and 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.

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 the 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 bask to the Lords. In the event of persistent disagreement between the two houses, the 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.

 

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:

1) What are the functions of Parliament?

2) How many laws are passed by Parliament annually?

3) What requirements should be met so that a new law can be passed by Parliament? Is it a long procedure?

4) What types of bills are there?

5) Describe the procedure of passing a bill through Parliament. Which of the houses can start new legislation?

6) What is the difference between a bill and an act?

7) What should be done so that an act is enforced?

8) Can the Lords reject a bill?

9) Can the Commons reject a bill? If there is persistent disagreement between the two houses, which one prevails?

10) Is the approval of the monarch necessary for a bill to be passed? Can the monarch veto a bill?

 

Exercise 2. Find in the text English equivalents for the following word combinations:

ассигновать деньги для нужд правительства

налогообложение

управление делами, администрирование

расходы, затраты

обсуждать политические вопросы

принимать закон

распоряжения; постановления; нормы

монарх

королевская санкция

законопроект общегосударственного значения

частный законопроект; законопроект, касающийся отдельных лиц

дела государственной важности

проходить в парламенте (о законопроекте)

выдвигать законопроект

обсуждать законопроект

рассматривать законопроект

вносить поправки в законопроект

направлять законопроект на рассмотрение

отклонять законопроект

приводить закон в действие

откладывать принятие законопроекта

заседание парламента

Exercise 3. Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations in italics:

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

2) Parliament indirectly passes about 2,000 additional rules and regulations.

3) The monarch also has to give a bill the royal assent, which is now just a formality.

4) Whilst a law is still going through Parliament it is called a bill.

5) 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.

6) … the bill is referred to a committee, either a special committee made up of certain members of the House …

7) In order to be enforced, it must be published in Statute form, becoming a part of Statute Law.

8) The power of the Lords to reject a bill has been severely curtailed.

9) The Lords, therefore, can only delay the passage of a public bill, they cannot reject it.

10) Finally, the bill goes to the reigning monarch for the royal assent.

Exercise 4. Complete the following sentences:

1) The functions of Parliament are … .

2) No new law can be passed unless … .

3) There are two main types of bills … .

4) When a bill is introduced in the House of Commons, it receives … .

5) In a special committee a bill is ... .

6) If the bill is passed by the Commons it goes … .

7) After receiving the royal assent the bill becomes … .

8) New legislation in Britain usually starts in … .

9) If passed after its third reading in one of the houses, it goes … .

10) Amendments made to a bill by the House of Lords must be considered by … .

 

Exercise 5. Look up the following words in an English-English dictionary and copy out the meanings:

1) provide (v.); 2) sovereign (n.); 3) bill (n.); 4) act (n.); 5) legislation (n.);

6) provided (conj.); 7) amendment (n.); 8) veto (v.).

 

Exercise 6. Copy out from the text all the words that can be used with the following nouns (make up word combinations).

a bill

an act

legislation

a law

amendments

assent

consent

Exercise 7. Fill in the gaps with articles where necessary.

1) After … second reading … bill is referred to … committee, either … special committee made up of … certain members of … House, or to … House itself as … committee.

2) … money bill must be passed by … Lords without … amendment within … month of being presented in … House.

3) After … second reading … bill is examined in …detail by … committee.

4) In …event of … persistent disagreement between … two houses, … Commons prevails.

5) Nowadays … royal assent is merely … formality.

6) In … theory … queen could still refuse her consent, but … last monarch to use this power was … Queen Anne, who vetoed … unpopular Scottish Militia Bill in 1707.

 

Exercise 8. Substitute the italicized words and word combinations for their synonyms.

1) Since 1707 no sovereign has refused a bill.

2) When a bill is introduced in the House of Commons, it receives a formal first reading.

3) It is then printed and read a second time, when it is debated but not amended.

4) 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.

5) 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.

6) The Act of 1949 provides that any public bill passed by the Commons in two successive parliamentary sessions …

7) In each house a bill is considered in three stages, called readings.

8) The first reading is purely formal, to introduce the bill.

9) If the House of Commons does not agree, the bill is altered and sent bask to the Lords.

 

Exercise 9. Translate the following sentences into English:

1) Полномочия Палаты Лордов ограничены. Палата Лордов может отложить принятие законопроекта, но не может отклонить его.

2) После второго чтения законопроект направляется на рассмотрение в один из специальных комитетов. После этого в законопроект могут быть внесены поправки.

3) В настоящее время королевская санкция является простой формальностью, т.к. монарх не имеет непосредственной власти, а является номинальным главой государства.

4) Все поправки, внесенные в законопроект одной из палат парламента, должны быть рассмотрены и одобрены другой. В случае разногласий Палата Общин имеет преимущество.

5) Каждый год в парламенте прямо и косвенно принимаются более двух тысяч законов, распоряжений и постановлений.

6) После того как законопроект принят в Палате Общин, он направляется в Палату Лордов. Там он проходит ту же процедуру рассмотрения, что и в Палате Общин, при условии, что он не был отклонен.

7) После получения королевской санкции законопроект становится законом.

8) Палата Лордов может задержать прохождение законопроекта общегосударственного значения, но не может отклонить его.

9) Первое чтение законопроекта является чисто формальным и имеет целью внести законопроект на рассмотрение.

10) Если Палата Лордов внесла поправки в законопроект, он должен вернуться в Палату Общин для рассмотрения.