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| 2 | THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
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| 3 | _________________________________________________________________
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| 4 |
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| 5 | (See Note 1)
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| 6 |
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| 7 | We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
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| 8 | Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
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| 9 | common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings
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| 10 | of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish
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| 11 | this Constitution for the United States of America.
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| 12 |
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| 13 | Article. I.
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| 14 |
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| 15 | Section 1.
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| 16 |
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| 17 | All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of
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| 18 | the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of
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| 19 | Representatives.
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| 20 |
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| 21 | Section. 2.
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| 22 |
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| 23 | Clause 1: The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members
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| 24 | chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the
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| 25 | Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for
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| 26 | Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
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| 27 |
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| 28 | Clause 2: No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have
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| 29 | attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a
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| 30 | Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an
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| 31 | Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
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| 32 |
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| 33 | Clause 3: Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among
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| 34 | the several States which may be included within this Union, according
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| 35 | to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to
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| 36 | the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for
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| 37 | a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all
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| 38 | other Persons. (See Note 2) The actual Enumeration shall be made
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| 39 | within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the
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| 40 | United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such
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| 41 | Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives
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| 42 | shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall
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| 43 | have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be
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| 44 | made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three,
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| 45 | Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one,
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| 46 | Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight,
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| 47 | Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South
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| 48 | Carolina five, and Georgia three.
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| 49 |
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| 50 | Clause 4: When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State,
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| 51 | the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill
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| 52 | such Vacancies.
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| 53 |
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| 54 | Clause 5: The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and
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| 55 | other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.
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| 56 |
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| 57 | Section. 3.
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| 58 |
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| 59 | Clause 1: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two
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| 60 | Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, (See Note
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| 61 | 3) for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.
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| 62 |
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| 63 | Clause 2: Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of
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| 64 | the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into
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| 65 | three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be
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| 66 | vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at
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| 67 | the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the
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| 68 | Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every
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| 69 | second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise,
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| 70 | during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive
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| 71 | thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the
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| 72 | Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies. (See Note 4)
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| 73 |
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| 74 | Clause 3: No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to
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| 75 | the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United
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| 76 | States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that
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| 77 | State for which he shall be chosen.
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| 78 |
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| 79 | Clause 4: The Vice President of the United States shall be President
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| 80 | of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
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| 81 |
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| 82 | Clause 5: The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a
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| 83 | President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when
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| 84 | he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.
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| 85 |
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| 86 | Clause 6: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all
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| 87 | Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or
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| 88 | Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the
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| 89 | Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without
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| 90 | the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.
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| 91 |
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| 92 | Clause 7: Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further
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| 93 | than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy
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| 94 | any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the
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| 95 | Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to
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| 96 | Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.
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| 97 |
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| 98 | Section. 4.
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| 99 |
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| 100 | Clause 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for
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| 101 | Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the
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| 102 | Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or
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| 103 | alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.
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| 104 |
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| 105 | Clause 2: The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and
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| 106 | such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, (See Note 5)
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| 107 | unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.
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| 108 |
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| 109 | Section. 5.
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| 110 |
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| 111 | Clause 1: Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and
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| 112 | Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall
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| 113 | constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn
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| 114 | from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of
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| 115 | absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House
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| 116 | may provide.
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| 117 |
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| 118 | Clause 2: Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings,
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| 119 | punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence
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| 120 | of two thirds, expel a Member.
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| 121 |
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| 122 | Clause 3: Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from
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| 123 | time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their
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| 124 | Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of
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| 125 | either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of
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| 126 | those Present, be entered on the Journal.
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| 127 |
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| 128 | Clause 4: Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall,
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| 129 | without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days,
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| 130 | nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be
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| 131 | sitting.
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| 132 |
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| 133 | Section. 6.
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| 134 |
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| 135 | Clause 1: The Senators and Representatives shall receive a
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| 136 | Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid
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| 137 | out of the Treasury of the United States. (See Note 6) They shall in
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| 138 | all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace,
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| 139 | beprivileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of
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| 140 | their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same;
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| 141 | and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be
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| 142 | questioned in any other Place.
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| 143 |
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| 144 | Clause 2: No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for
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| 145 | which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the
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| 146 | Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the
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| 147 | Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no
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| 148 | Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member
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| 149 | of either House during his Continuance in Office.
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| 150 |
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| 151 | Section. 7.
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| 152 |
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| 153 | Clause 1: All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House
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| 154 | of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with
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| 155 | Amendments as on other Bills.
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| 156 |
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| 157 | Clause 2: Every Bill which shall have passed the House of
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| 158 | Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be
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| 159 | presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he
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| 160 | shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to
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| 161 | that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the
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| 162 | Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If
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| 163 | after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to
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| 164 | pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the
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| 165 | other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if
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| 166 | approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in
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| 167 | all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas
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| 168 | and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill
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| 169 | shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any
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| 170 | Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays
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| 171 | excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be
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| 172 | a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by
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| 173 | their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a
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| 174 | Law.
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| 175 |
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| 176 | Clause 3: Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of
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| 177 | the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a
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| 178 | question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the
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| 179 | United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be
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| 180 | approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two
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| 181 | thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the
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| 182 | Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.
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| 183 |
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