Kevin Herron, age 14, of Utica, N.Y., for his question:
HOW DOES THE PRESIDENTIAL VETO WORK?
Veto is a Latin word which means "I forbid." In American government, the word usually refers to the president's power to kill a law that the legislature branch has already passed.
When the two houses of the Congress have passed a bill or a joint resolution, it is presented to the president of the United States. There are two ways in which the bill can be passed and two ways in which the president can veto it.
If the president does not like the bill, he can simply veto it. If he does this, he must send a message to Congress stating his reasons for rejecting the bill.
The president may also retain the bill, in the expectation that Congress will adjourn within 10 days and thus the bill will be defeated. This method is called the pocket veto.
The pocket veto is used by presidents who find certain bills unsatisfactory but do not want to veto them openly. Vetoing a congressional bill defeats all parts of it. All provisions and "riders" attached to the bill are vetoed with it.
The president's veto, however,is a limited power. It is not absolute. A vote of a two thirds majority of the members present in both houses of Congress can override a veto.
There are two ways in which a bill can be passed. If the president approves of the bill, he signs it and it becomes law. He can also allow it to become law by not signing it. This can take place under the clause in the Constitution which provides that "if any bill shall not be returned by the president within 10 days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevents its return, in which case it shall not be a law."
The sovereign of Great Britain still holds the power of absolute veto. But it is interesting to note that no British king or queen has used this absolute veto power since 1707.
When the Constitution was adopted, Alexander Hamilton declared that presidents would use the veto power with great caution. He was right. Seven presidents did not veto any bills.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served as president longer than any ohter person, vetoed the most bills. He used 372 regular vetoes and 263 pocket vetoes.
Grower Cleveland ranks second with vetoes: 346 regulars and 238 pocket vetoes.
Congress has overridden only about five percent of all presidential vetoes. For example, 11 of the presidents who vetoed bills had no vetoes overridden by Congress.
Congress reversed only nine of Roosevelt's 372 regular vetoes and only two of the 73 vetoes issued by Dwight D. Eisenhower. But it overrode 15 of Andrew Johnson's 21 regular vetoes.
Most state governors also have veto power. But in some states, the governor's veto may be overridden by a simple majority of the members present in the houses of the legislature.