Saturday, March 26, 2011

Another revised sample amendment to reform the Senate

This amendment is almost identical to the one I posted here, but I'm taking out the provision for a house of representatives override of the Senate veto of the executive order. I have also changed some of the other wording:

Section 1: All bills shall originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may concur in any bill passed by the House of Representatives. If the Senate concur, the bill shall be presented to the President for his or her approval or disapproval, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the seventh section of the first article. If the Senate do not concur after one hundred eighty days shall have elapsed, the bill shall be referred again to the House of Representatives. If the House of Representatives shall approve said bill, without amendment, before three hundred sixty five days shall have elapsed from its original passage by that house, the bill shall be presented to the President for his or her approval or disapproval, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the seventh section of the first article. But nothing in this article or in any article, of the constitution shall be so construed as to permit the Senate to propose amendments to any bill.

Section 2: The Senate shall have power to remove any officer of the United States, appointed by the President, if three-fifths of the Senate concur in such removal, provided that nothing in this article or in any article, of the constitution be so construed as to deny the term of service during Good Behavior of Judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, and provided also that nothing in this article or in any article, of the Constitution be so construed as to deny the power of impeachment to the House of Representatives or to deny the power to try all impeachments to the Senate, according to the rules prescribed for impeachments and trying all impeachments.

Section 3: The Senate shall have power to nullify any executive order or any order issued by the President when engaged in his or her official duties as President, or any order of any officer of the United States, appointed by the President, if three-fifths of the Senate concur in such nullification, provided, however, that nothing in this article shall be so construed as to permit the Senate to nullify the decision of any Judge, of the supreme court or any inferior courts, when done in the exercise of his or her office; and provided, further, that the failure by the President to obey the Senate's order for nullification by voiding the order or by offering a replacement for said order that be substantively different from the nullified order shall be considered a high crime or misdemeanor against the United States.

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