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Veto

Executive rejection of a legislative proposal or joint resolution submitted for legal approval. Should an executive reject a measure, it can attain legal status only if the House and Senate individually vote (by a two-thirds majority) to overturn the rejection. An alternative type of executive rejection – an indirect rejection – happens if the legislature has concluded its session and cannot reconvene, and the executive fails to approve the legislative proposal within the mandated ten-day timeframe (excluding Sundays).

Subject

There are three separate and distinct topic term vocabularies used to facilitate finding bills by topic. See policy area term, legislative subject term, and LIV – Legislative Indexing Vocabulary.

Statutes At Large

The Statutes at Large is the definitive compilation of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. Every public and private law passed by Congress is published in the Statutes at Large in chronological order based on the date it was enacted into law. The laws are organized by Public Law number and referenced by volume and page number. Also included are concurrent resolutions, proclamations by the President, proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution, and reorganization plans.

Star Print

Star prints are revised reproductions of congressional publications. Star prints replace the original version of a report, document, print, or hearing. Corrected reproductions may be recognized by one or more stars and occasionally the phrase “Star Print” at the lower left corner of official paper and PDF title pages or covers. Web-friendly bill texts show stars in the top left margin (e.g., Star print of 114SRes22).

Sponsor

A Representative or Senator who presents or submits a bill or other legislative measure.

Special Rule

A resolution presented by the Rules Committee that, if approved by the House, establishes the conditions for discussing and modifying a particular statute or statutes.

Slip Law

The first release of a statute that has been enacted. Slip laws are accessible online within days following enactment via the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) and are utilized until the statute is issued in a more enduring format. Public and private statutes are subsequently reprinted by number in the Statutes at Large, with public statutes later included in the U.S. Code.

Simple Resolution

A type of legislative action presented and possibly enacted by only one congressional chamber, utilized for the governance of commerce solely within the originating chamber. Depending on the originating chamber, they are designated as either H.Res. or S.Res. Joint resolutions and concurrent resolutions represent other categories of resolutions.