ACTS OF CONGRESS. The two branches of Congress are co-ordinate in legis lative power, the bills passed by either being subject to the absolute veto of the other. The only exclusive power possessed by either House was the provision that all bills for raising rev enue should originate in the House of Repre sentatives, but this power has practically been nullified by the unrestrained freedom of amend ing such bills which the Constitution gives to the Senate. In one case this freedom was ex ercised to the extent of placing 872 amend ments in a single House bill and of eliminating everything but the enacting clause and substi tuting a new bill. Annually many thousands of bills and resolutions are introduced by the Senators and Representatives (during the 61st Congress nearly 46,000), are then referred to the proper committees for consideration, and if worthy of presentation and action by Con gress are introduced for debate. While the congressional committee system is crude, it performs excellent work in killing off worth less bills. When a bill has been passed by either House it is sent to the other for action; if passed by that branch the copy, signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, is sent to the President.
If he sign it or allow it to become a law, it takes effect at the time designated in the bill, but if he veto it, then it must be passed by a two-thirds vote of those present in both Houses before it can become a law without his signature. If the bill fail to receive the two thirds vote it is then a nullity and has no effect. (See Bats, COURSE OF ; Bats, PRI VATE). All acts of Congress for each session are edited, printed and published by authority of Congress, under the discretion of the secre tary of state, in the (Statutes at All acts of Congress remaining in force 1 Dec. 1873 were codified in 1874 in the Statutes' and from time to tune successive vol umes of supplementary acts have been issued. The criminal laws of the United States were codified in 1912. Consult Hart, A. B., (New York 1903) ; Reinsch, P. S., 'American Legislatures and Legislative Meth ods) (New York 1907) ; Bryce, James, 'Ameri can Commonwealth' (4th ed., New York 1910) ; Ford, H. J., 'Cost of Our National Govern ment' (New York 1910) ; Hinds, A. C., 'Rules of the House of (1909).