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Definition: Veto from The SAGE Glossary of the Social and Behavioral Sciences

The power to block legislation. In the United States, the president can veto any bill presented to him by not signing it. He is required to return the bill to Congress with the proposed changes. Congress has the power to override the president's veto by a two-thirds majority of both Houses and have the bill become law.

See also

Bill, Law (political science)

veto

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Exercise by a sovereign, branch of legislature, or other political power, of the right to prevent the enactment or operation of a law, or the taking of some course of action. The term originates in the power of the tribunes of the plebs of ancient Rome to declare their protest against any unlawful measure. The exercise of the veto has been of great importance in the operations of the Security Council of the United Nations. Each of the five permanent members of the Council, the USA, Russia, the UK, France, and China has the right to veto any resolution. .BTXT: In the UK the sovereign has a right to refuse assent to any measure passed by Parliament, but this has not been exercised since the 18th century. The power of veto enjoyed by the House of Lords was reduced by the 1911 Parliament Act to two years, and by an act of 1949 to one year. The House of Lords still has a suspensory veto on all legislation except finance measures, but this is seldom exercised In the USA, the president may…
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Full text Article Veto

From American Governance
A veto refers to a chief executive's rejection or refusal to sign a bill (or resolution requiring executive approval) sent to him or her for approval by the legislature. Chief executives, whether US president or state governor, have a certain amount of time to sign a bill after the time of arrival. …
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Full text Article veto

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
[Lat.,=I forbid], power of one functionary (e.g., the president) of a government, or of one member of a group or coalition, to block the operation of laws or agreements passed or entered into by the other functionaries or members. In the U.S. government, Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution…
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Full text Article veto

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Exercise by a sovereign, branch of legislature, or other political power, of the right to prevent the enactment or operation of a law, or the taking of some course of action. The term originates in the power of the tribunes of the plebs of ancient Rome to declare their protest against any unlawful…
| 363 words
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Full text Article veto

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
a. The constitutional power of the chief executive of a state or nation to prevent or delay the enactment of legislation passed by the legislature: The president has the veto and will use it. b. An instance in which this right is exercised: the governor's veto of the bill. c. An official document or…
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Full text Article veto

From Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought
Latin: I forbid. A right to prevent an act or policy by a single negative vote. The veto is an important device, since, by granting it to every member of a body, you also ensure that no action can be undertaken unless they all consent to it. Hence the existence of a veto is an essential part of the…
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Full text Article veto power

From Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
The veto power is the power of the president to prevent bills passed by Congress from being enacted into law. According to Article I, Section 7, of the Constitution, the president faces four possible actions to dispose of legislation: approval, whereby the president signs the bill into law; …
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Full text Article presidential veto

From Encyclopedia of American Government and Civics
The presidential veto is the power of the president to prevent legislation passed by Congress from being enacted into law. When presidents veto a bill, they return it, unsigned, to the house of Congress where the bill originated with a written explanation for the veto. Some of the most important and…
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Full text Article pocket veto

From Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
The pocket veto power allows the president to prevent enactment of a bill, thereby killing the bill, but without returning the bill to Congress. Unlike the regular or return veto, use of the pocket veto by presidents is carefully circumscribed by the Constitution. According to Article I, Section 7, …
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Full text Article item veto

From Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
An item veto is the power of an executive to veto, delete, or send back to the legislative branch some section, portion, or part of a bill. Depending on how the power is defined, an item veto could apply only to appropriations bills or to all legislation. It could also be defined to allow the…
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Full text Article legislative veto

From Encyclopedia of American Government and Civics
The legislative veto is a procedure where one or both chambers of the United States Congress review executive branch actions and prohibit or alter those regulations or procedures with which the legislators disapprove. Legislative veto requirements vary widely because they are established on a…
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