Acts of Congress
Definition
Refers to laws passed by both houses of Congress (the House of Representatives and Senate) that have been approved by the president (or vetoed but overridden by Congress).
Analogy
Think about acts of Congress like recipes created collaboratively by multiple chefs. Similar to how different ingredients come together to create a delicious dish, acts of Congress are created by combining the ideas and input from representatives and senators to form a law.
Related terms
Legislation: The process of creating, passing, and enacting laws by a legislative body such as Congress.
Bill: A proposed law that is in the early stages of consideration by Congress before it becomes an act.
Veto: When the president refuses to sign a bill into law, preventing it from becoming an act unless overridden by Congress.
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