LANGUAGE PRACTICE AND COMPREHENSION CHECK

Terms and Notions

Ranking minority member - the highest ranking (and usually longest serving) minority member of a committee or subcommittee. Senators may not serve as ranking minority member on more than one standing committee.

Floor leaders - The Majority Leader and Minority Leader are elected by their respective party conferences to serve as the chief Senate spokesmen for their parties and to manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate. By custom, the Presiding Officer gives the floor leaders priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate.

Amendmentn.– 1. a formal revision or addition proposed or made to a statute, constitution, pleading, order or other instrument. 2. The process of making such a revision.

Constituentn. –a person who lives, and can vote in a constituency.

Memorial n. – a written statement of facts presented to a legislature or executive as a petition.

TASK I a) Look up the following words and word combinations from the text in a dictionary:

Active Vocabulary

draft v., n

emanate v. take office enact v., enactment n. transmit v.

avail yourself of sth. (formal)

submitv.

relevantadj. (often foll. by to).expedient adj.

repeal n., v.

b) Use the active vocabulary to complete the sentences:

1. The city's elected officials formally ...office at noon Sunday with a swearing-in ceremony.

2. A current law, if any, will affect how we ...our bill.

3. While one person can communicate ideas, it takes a group of persons acting together to ...ideas.

4. The supervisory authorities do not consider whether the transactions made by the local council are reasonable or ..., nor do they consider issues concerning discretionary actions, as long as the actions comply with the law.

5. In order to ...oneself of the affirmative defense of duress, the accused must admit to having engaged in the proscribed conduct.

6. US feels next Taliban offensive may ...from FATA (the Federally Administered Tribal Areas).

7. The Ministry of Justice recently ...to public consultation the Draft Law on Mortgage for Real Estate.

8. There is significant legislation and public policy ...to Universal Design in Ireland.

9. The legislative branch of government has responsibilities which in many cases transcend (syn. exceed) the process of ...of legislation.

10. If a government … a law, it officially ends that law.

TASK IIAdd nouns to the following adjectives to make word combinations from the text. Then use them and the active vocabulary to speak about sources of legislation in your jurisdiction:

Particular, vital, suitable, independent, expedient, executive, standing, relevant, statutory, annual.

TASK IIIa) Study the meanings of the following adjectives:

diverse - 1 : differing from one another : unlike; 2 : composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities.

different - partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality : dissimilar.

various - dissimilar in nature or form : unlike.

b) Complete the sentences with appropriate adjectives or their derivatives:

The summit’s goal is primarily to educate students on the different areas of IP[1] law and to increase the pipeline of ... law school candidates available to law firms.

The … different Legislation and Regulations makes it the responsibility of the Local Authority to prepare emergency plans for response to a major incident.

This commitment to … extends to Fenwick's involvement with bar associations, pro bono work, and law schools.

There is not … legislation for Scotland and England now whereas, previously, there was a big unified legislative system.

Though some criticized the proposed draft of this bill, a close read of the legislation reveals what we think is a good balance of … interests in a Utah landscape where unique circumstances arise.

Once there are … arrangements in Scotland and England, is there not a risk that there will be two sets of regulations—one for dogs bred in England and exported to Scotland and one for dogs bred in Scotland and exported to England—or will the regulations be identical?

… legislation and jurisprudence refer to this concept differently.

Emergency Planning is governed by a range of Legislation and Regulations, which relate to … areas of our work.

The media industry in Singapore is regulated by … legislation and codes of practice.

Centrelink has a legal obligation to comply with the Privacy Act 1998 as well as the confidentiality provisions contained in the … legislation Centrelink administers.

TASK IVComplete each sentence with a suitable word or phrase:

Ideas for legislation may emanate from the …… during which the Member had promised, if elected, to introduce legislation on a particular subject.

The Member's ……., either as individuals or through citizen groups, may avail themselves of the right to petition and transmit their proposals to the Member.

State legislatures may "memorialize" Congress to enact specified federal laws by passing resolutions to be transmitted to the House and Senate as …… .

The chairman or the ranking minority member of the ……. committee usually introduces the bill promptly.

This practice is usually followed even when the majority of the House and the President are not of the same political party, although there is no constitutional or …… requirement that a bill be introduced to effectuate the recommendations.

The most important of the regular executive communications is the ……. from the President transmitting the proposed budget to Congress.

Many of the executive departments and independent agencies employ …… who are charged with the drafting of bills.

The drafting of …… is an art that requires great skill, knowledge, and experience.

TASK VMatch the nouns with their definitions:

1. petitiona. a legislative body’s act of setting aside a sum of money for a public purpose.

2. legislature b. any proceedings in which legislators or their designees receive testimony about legislation that might be enacted.

3. memorial c. a draft of a proposed statute submitted to the legislature for enactment.

4. bill d. a court’s power to decide a case or issue a decree.

5. jurisdiction e. a sum of money allocated to a particular purpose or project.

6. budget f. a written statement of facts presented to a legislature or executive as a petition.

7. appropriation g. a formal written request presented to a court or other official body.

8. hearing h.a branch of government responsible for making statutory laws.

TASK VIAnswer the following questions:

1. How many sources of ideas for legislation may exist?

2. Which sources of legislation can you name?

3. What is the right to petition?

4. Who can assist a Member in articulating the ideas in appropriate legislative language?

5. What is the role of the President in drafting legislation?

6. Which is the most important regular executive communication?

7. The drafting of statutes is an art, isn’t it?

TASK VIISpeak about

a) sources of ideas for legislation.

b) the role of the executive in drafting legislation.

c) the role of specialists in drafting legislation.

TASK VIIIDiscussion points:

Do you agree that the drafting of legislation is an art that requires great skill, knowledge, and experience? What skills are required for legislative drafting?

TASK IXAgree or disagree with the following quotation:

A president’s hardest task is not to do what is right but to know what is right.

Lyndon B. Johnson, 1908-1973,

36^th President of the USA

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 997