＊~花草居~＊

(上圖為紐約州州徽。Excelsior意指精益求精)

紐約州是採用兩院制的立法機構，意旨有兩個分別獨立的議院:參議院和眾議院。62個參議員和150個眾議員代表紐約州的人民。 

一個新的法案可以由另一議院(參議院和眾議院)的成員在該院的常務委員會所提出。  常務委員會也許會召開法案公聽會，或者保留法案等待進一步的討論。常務委員會的決議可能是否定提案，或是將法案公布給該院所有議員。一旦公布，法案還須經過該院二讀三讀；在進入最後的投票階段前，法案可能會被擱置或是修訂。當該法案在提案的議院通過時，必須轉交由另一個議院審議，審議的程序和前述的過程相同。

只有當法案在兩個議院都通過時，才會被轉交給州長。州長有權力否決法案，或簽署法案使它成為該州的法律。當法案被州長否決，會再送回參、眾議院表決，只要兩議院同時有超過三分之二的議員贊成，則該法案將無視州長的否決權，直接成為州法。

The Legislative Process

New York has a bicameral legislature – meaning there are two distinct chambers: the Senate and the Assembly.  62 Senators and 150 Assembly members represent the people of New York.  A bill may be introduced by a member of either the Assembly or the Senate – where it is first referred to a standing committee in the house of origin.  That committee may conduct public hearings on the matter, hold the bill for consideration, defeat the measure, or report it out to the body as a whole. If reported out of committee, the bill has a second and third reading in its house of origin where it can be laid aside, or amended before it goes to a final vote. If passed by the original house, the bill then goes to the other house where it is treated as a new bill and the whole process is repeated.

Only those bills passed by both the Assembly and the Senate are sent to the Governor – who can either veto the bill or sign it into law.  It takes two-thirds of each house of the legislature to override the Governor’s veto.

原文出處: http://www.ogs.ny.gov/ESP/CT/Tours/SelfGuidedDL.asp