Concurrent Resolution

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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Concurrent resolutions adopted by the Congress, unlike

joint resolutions, do not require the president's signature and do not ordinarily have the force of law. Concurrent resolutions may be used to express the "sense of Congress" or to regulate the internal affairs of Congress (such as expenditure of funds for congressional housekeeping).

Since 1939, concurrent resolutions have been the normal means of expressing the legislative veto when by law that limit on presidential ordinance-making power requires action by both houses. Recent examples of this requirement are found in the war powers act (1973) and the congressional budget and impoundment control act (1974).

Dennis J. Mahoney
(1986)

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