Download In the Senate

Sample Bill Format
Italics = Directions (type Your Information or Delete)
____th Congress
1st Session
Senate Bill # ____________
A Bill For An Act Entitled: Title of bill
or
An Amendment to the Constitution Entitled: Title of amendment
In the Senate
Write the date
Write: Senators Your names introduced the following resolution which was referred to the
Committee on fill in this blank when you know the committee name.
Senate Proposal
Resolved by the U.S. Senate of the United States of America, that the following article is
proposed as federal law under the jurisdiction of the Untied States of America, enforceable by
Executive action.
For a bill: "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled, that:"
For an Amendment: "Be it amended by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, that:"
Section 1: Explanation of terminology- Which terms need to be defined in order to understand the bill?
Section 2: What is the act going to do? Who is going to be involved / impacted /
affected by the act
Section 3: Where? All of U.S. or a certain area / place in the U.S.?
Section 4: How is the act going to be funded? Who is going to enforce / administer
this act?(Which government agency will oversee the bill and its duties?)
Section 5: Penalties (if any) for non-compliance (not following the rules) of the act
Section 6: Enactment Date: When will the law go into effect?
END
In the Senate
____ Congress
2nd Session
Senate Bill # ____________
A Bill For An Act Entitled:
In the Senate
Date:______________
Senators writing the bill: __________________________________________________________________ introduced
the following resolution which was referred to the Committee on _________________.
Senate Proposal
Resolved by the U.S. Senate of the United States of America, that the following article is proposed as federal law under
the jurisdiction of the United States of America, enforceable by Executive action.
1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled, that
2. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Section 1: Explanation of Terminology
6. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
7. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
8. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
9. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Section 2 : Explanation of what the bill will provide for. . .
11. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
12. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
13. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
14. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
15. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
16. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
17. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
18. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
19. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
20. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
21. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
22. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
23. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
24. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
25. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
26. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
27. Section 3: Where would this bill take effect:
28. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
29. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
30. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
31. Section 4: Governing body that will oversee the bill and its duties and how funded
32. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
33. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
34. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
35. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
36. Section 5. Penalty for non-compliance with the legislation:
37. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
38. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
39. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
40. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
41. Section 6: Enactment Date:
42. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
43. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________ President’s signature
Twelfth Amendment - Election of President
Amendment Text | Annotations
The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of
whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the
person voted for as President and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make
distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the
number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the
government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;--The President of the Senate shall, in
the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be
counted;--The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number
be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the
persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of
Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the
representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members
from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of
Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the
fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or
other constitutional disability of the President.--The person having the greatest number of votes as VicePresident, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed,
and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the
Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a
majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the
office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.
12th Amendment Annotations
Election of President
This Amendment, 1 which supersedes clause 3 of Sec. 1 of Article II, was adopted so as to make impossible the
situation occurring after the election of 1800 in which Jefferson and Burr received tie votes in the electoral
college, thus throwing the selection of a President into the House of Representatives, despite the fact that the
electors had intended Jefferson to be President and Burr to be Vice- President. 2 The difference between the
procedure which it defines and that which was laid down originally is in the provision it makes for a separate
designation by the electors of their choices for President and Vice-President, respectively. As a consequence of
the disputed election of 1870, Congress has enacted a statute providing that if the vote of a State is not certified
by the governor under seal, it shall not be counted unless both Houses of Congress concur. 3
Footnotes
[Footnote 1] A number of provisions of the Amendment have been superseded by the Twentieth Amendment.
[Footnote 2] Cunningham, Election of 1800, in 1 History of American Presidential Elections 101 (A.
Schlesinger ed., 1971).
[Footnote 3] 3 U.S.C. Sec. 15.
- See more at: http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment12.html#sthash.x56mYGVb.dpuf