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1) to take a) the clients

2) to deal with b) the practice of law

3) to draw up c) the right of audience

4) to make d) court

5) to have e) the practice environment

6) to go to f) legal matters

7) to engage in g) legal arrangements

8) to advise on h) contracts

9) to depend on i) legal advice

10) on behalf of j) a range of legal work

TEXT

Lawmaking Procedure in the USA

Vocabulary

1. the House of Representatives — Палата представителей

2. the introduction of a bill to the Congress — внесение законопроек- та на рассмотрение Конгресса

3. a constituent — избирательный округ

4. an appropriate committee — соответствующий комитет

5. a subcommittee — подкомитет

6. to move a bill forward — продвигать законопроект

7. consideration — рассмотрение, обсуждение

8. to introduce an amendment — внести поправку

9. to pass both houses of the Congress — пройти обсуждение в обеих палатах Конгресса

10. to sign a bill into law — поставить подпись на законопроекте, сделав его тем самым законом

The Congress of the United States is the highest lawmaking body in the United States and one of the oldest national legislatures in the world. The U.S. Congress consists of two houses — the Senate and the House of Representatives. A member of the Senate is referred to as a senator, and a member of the House of Representatives is called a representative or congressman or congresswoman.

The general process for making a bill into a law is described in the Constitution.

The first step in the legislative process is the introduction of a bill to the Congress. Bills originate from several different sources: from individual 58 members of the Congress, from a member of a constituent or a group of constituents, from one or more state legislatures, or the President or his administration, but only members of the Congress can introduce legislation.

After being introduced, a bill is referred to the appropriate committee for review. There are 17 Senate committees, with 70 subcommittees, and 23 House committees, with 104 subcommittees. A bill is first considered in a subcommittee, where it may be accepted, amended, or rejected. If the members of the subcommittee agree to move a bill forward, it is reported to the full committee, where the process is repeated again. If the full committee votes to approve the bill, it is reported to the House or the Senate.

When the bill comes up for consideration, the House has a very structured debate process. Each member who wishes to speak has only a few minutes, and the number and kind of amendments are usually limited. In the Senate, debate on most bills is unlimited — senators may speak to issues other than the bill under consideration during their speeches, and any amendment can be introduced. A bill must pass both houses of the Congress before it goes to the President for consideration. Once debate has ended and any amendments to the bill have been approved, the full membership will vote for or against the bill.

The bill is then sent to the President. When receiving a bill from the Congress, the President has several options. If the President agrees with the bill, he or she may sign it into law. If the President disagrees with the bill, he may veto it and send it back to the Congress. The Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds vote of each chamber, at which point the bill becomes law and is printed.

Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

1. What is the legislative body in the USA? What does it consist of?

2. What are the steps in the legislative process?

3. What are the sources of bills?

4. Who can introduce the legislation?

5. What options has the President upon receiving a bill?

TEXT

Legislation in the United Kingdom

Vocabulary

1. the House of Lords — Палата Лордов

2. the House of Commons — Палата Общин

3. similar — подобный, схожий

4. scrutiny — тщательная проверка

5. a life peer — пожизненный пэр (титул и привилегии не переда- ются по наследству)

6. a hereditary peer — потомственный пэр (титул и привилегии пе- редаются по наследству)

7. to proceed to committee stage — перейти на стадию обсуждения в комитете

8. to propose further amendments — предлагать дальнейшее внесе- ние поправок

9. to reach agreement — достигнуть соглашения

10. the Royal Assent — королевская санкція

In Great Britain laws are made in Parliament at Westminster. The British Parliament consists of the monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. Their work is similar: making laws (legislation), checking the work of the government (scrutiny), and debating current issues. The House of Lords is composed of life peers and hereditary peers. The House of Common is composed of Members of Parliament (MPs).

The idea for a new law can come from a variety of sources: bills may be introduced by any member of either House (a “Private Member’s Bill”), a Minister of the Crown (a “Government Bill”), by the general public (“Public Bills”), by an individual or small group of individuals (a “Private Bill”).

First reading is the first stage of a Bill’s passage through the House of Commons — usually a formality, it takes place without debate. The short title of the Bill is read out and then the Bill is printed. The Bill is published as a House of Commons paper for the first time. The next stage is second reading, the first opportunity for MPs to debate the general principles and themes of the Bill.

Once second reading is completed the Bill proceeds to committee stage. Committee stage is where detailed examination of the Bill takes place, clause by clause, determining the intent and impact of the Bill’s language. This is therefore often considered the most important step in the parliamentary process for researchers aiming to determine legislative intent. It is at this stage that amendments are made. If the Bill has been amended the Bill is reprinted before its next stage.

Once committee stage is finished, the Bill returns to the floor of the House of Commons for its report stage, where the amended Bill can be debated and further amendments proposed. All MPs can suggest amendments to the Bill or new clauses (parts) they think should be added.

Report stage is normally followed immediately by debate on the Bill’s third reading. Amendments (proposals for change) cannot be made to a Bill at the third reading in the Commons.

The process in the House of Lords is very similar to the process in the House of Commons. The Bill will have the pro forma first reading, then the second reading. After the second reading the Bill will normally be referred to a Committee of the Whole House. The Bill then passes through a consideration stage and the third reading. In the House of Lords amendments may be made in the Committee of the Whole House, the consideration stage, and the third reading (this is different from the House of Commons where no amendments can be made in the third reading).

If the Bill is started in the Commons it goes to the House of Lords for its first reading. If the Bill is started in the Lords it returns to the House of Lords for consideration of any amendments the Commons has made. Both Houses must agree on the exact wording of the Bill. A Bill may go back and forth between each House until both Houses reach agreement.

When a Bill has completed all its parliamentary stages in both Houses, it must have the Royal Assent before it can become an Act of Parliament. The Royal Assent is the monarch’s agreement to make the Bill into an Act and is a formality. When Royal Assent has been given to a Bill, the announcement is usually made in both Houses by the Lord Speaker in the Lords and the Speaker in the Commons.

Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

1. What is the legislative body in the UK? What does it consist of?

2. What are the steps in the legislative process?

3. What are the sources of bills? Who can introduce the legislation?