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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).

Unanimous Consent Request

A proposal for all members (of a legislative body or committee) to agree to waive one or more rules to permit an action that would otherwise not be allowed. It is not approved if any member objects.

Treaty Document

An official record of a pact presented to the Senate by the executive branch, encompassing the agreement's text, accompanying letters from the President and Secretary of State, and supporting information.

Text Similarities

Legislation that is significantly alike in both wording and significance. Connections indicated on this basis also encompass instances where the language of one proposal appears unchanged in another, often larger, proposal. Identical bills, companion proposals, and procedurally-related proposals are other associated bill types.

Suspension Of The Rules

In the House, a process that simplifies the evaluation of a proposal with broad backing by forbidding floor amendments, capping debate at 40 minutes, and necessitating a two-thirds majority for approval. Although infrequently utilized, the Senate may also suspend various regulations by a two-thirds vote after one day's written notice.

Supermajority

A term sometimes used for a vote on a matter that requires approval by more than a simple majority of those members present and voting, with a quorum being present; also referred to as extraordinary majority

Submitted Senate Amendment

An amendment is filed when a senator files his/her amendment at the desk with the clerk for possible future consideration by the Senate. A filed amendment is not pending until it is formally proposed/offered by a senator. The term “filed” is sometimes used in lieu of “submitted.”