Contents
Who creates laws? In the United States, Congress is responsible for creating laws. However, the President may also propose laws.
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The Legislative Branch
The primary function of the Legislative branch is to make laws. The laws that are created in the Legislative branch are made in Congress, which is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Laws are also made in state legislatures and in city councils.
The Executive Branch
In the United States, the President is responsible for proposing and signing federal laws. The President may veto a bill that has been passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but this veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote from Congress.
The executive branch is also responsible for creating and enforcing regulations. Regulations are rules that have the force of law and are designed to protect public health, safety, and the environment. Federal agencies create regulations through a process known as rulemaking.
The Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch is in charge of reviewing laws to make sure that they are constitutional. If the Judicial Branch decides that a law is not constitutional, it can strike the law down.
The Federal Government
The three branches of the federal government are the Legislative (Congress), Executive (President and Administration) and Judicial (Courts).
The Legislative branch is Congress, made up of the Senate and House of Representatives. The main duty of Congress is to make laws. Each state has two Senators, while Representatives are apportioned according to population.
The President is the head of the Executive branch. The President’s duties include signing or vetoing bills passed by Congress, issuing executive orders, and serving as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The President is also responsible for nominating Supreme Court justices, ambassadors, and other high-ranking officials.
The Judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. The main duty of the Judicial branch is to interpret the Constitution and decide whether or not laws passed by Congress are constitutional.
The State Governments
The state governments are responsible for creating the majority of laws in the United States. The U.S. Constitution grants the states certain powers, known as police powers, which include the authority to make laws that protect the public health, safety, and welfare. In addition, state constitutions usually grant the state legislature (the lawmaking body of the state government) specific powers to make laws. All states have a legislative branch that consists of a senate and a house of representatives, although the structure and function of these bodies vary from state to state.
The Local Governments
In the United States, laws are made at the federal, state, and local levels. The federal government creates laws that apply to the entire nation, while state and local governments make laws that apply to specific states or cities.
The two main types of lawmaking bodies at the state and local level are the legislature and the city council. The legislature is a group of elected officials who debate and vote on new laws. The city council is a group of elected officials who oversee the running of a city.
Both the legislature and the city council can create new laws, but they must first get approval from the state or local government before these laws can go into effect.
The People
Did you know that it is the people who create laws, not the government? The people do this through the process of making petitions. A petition is a formal request, typically In writing, signed by many people asking for action to be taken on a particular issue.
The Constitution
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land in the United States. It establishes the framework of the federal government and defines the responsibilities and limitations of each branch. The Constitution was ratified by the states in 1788 and has been amended 27 times. Amendments can be proposed by Congress or by a Constitutional Convention, and must be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. They were introduced by James Madison to the First United States Congress in 1789 as a way of ensuring personal freedoms and limiting government power. The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791, and came into effect on March 4, 1792.
Amendments
The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress, with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate, or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures. To date, all 27 Amendments have been proposed by Congress and sent to the states for their ratification.
