Ross Mears, age 14, of Chester, Pa., for his question:
HOW DOES A VETO WORK?
A veto in parliamentary government is the executive power, as that of the President of the United States, to abrogate or kill a measure that has already been passed by a legislative body. In Latin, veto means "I forbid."
According to Article 1, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution, the president has only limited veto authority since negation of or the act of denying a legislative act can be overridden by a two thirds majority in both houses of Congress. In other words, if a president rejects or delivers a veto, Congress can vote to reject that veto.
A presidential veto, unlike that in many states, is comprehensive, applying to all parts of a bill, and the president must communicate to Congress the reasons for the veto.
In the case of a so called pocket veto, sometimes used for political reasons, a bill fails to become law when the president does not sign it and the Congress happens to adjourn within a 10 day period after its submission to the chief executive.
On the other hand, if Congress remains in session and does not receive the unsigned bill from the president within that time, the measure becomes law.
The great majority of presidential vetoes throughout American history have not been overridden by the Congress. As an example, of the some 600 vetoes handed down by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s and 1940s, only nine were overridden by Congress.
The governors of most states in the U.S. have veto powers which in some cases can be overridden by a simple majority rather than two thirds of their legislatures.
The monarch of Great Britain has long had putative absolute veto
power, but this prerogative has not been exercised since 1708.
In the Security Council of the United Nations, each of the five permanent members has veto power over all substantive matters.
The five permanent members of the Security Council of the Untied Nations are China, France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States.
When the U.S. Constitution was adopted, Alexander Hamilton declared that presidents would use the veto power with great caution. This turned out to be true.
Seven Presidents did not veto any bills. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served as chief executive of the nation longer than any other person, vetoed the most bills. He used 372 regular and 238 pocket vetoes.
Congress has overridden only five percent of ail presidential vetoes. Eleven presidents who vetoed bills did not have their vetoes overridden by Congress. Only two of the 73 vetoes issued by Dwight D. Eisenhower were overridden. At the other extreme, however, 15 of Andrew Johnson's 21 regular vetoes were overridden.
Most state governors can veto only parts of appropriation bills, rather than be forced to veto entire bills.