Bill Update
FASD Respect Language passed through the Senate as part of HR.2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act on September 18. The next step is for the bill to be presented to the President. Once presented, the President has 10 days (excluding Sundays) to act on the bill. If the President signs within 10 days, or if the President does not sign within 10 days but Congress is still in session, the bill becomes law. The 10-day window does not begin until the bill is presented to the President, and there is no set time frame for a bill to presented to the president.
What This Means
This means that the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate are responsible for officially delivering bills to the President, but they act only after direction from House and Senate leadership. The Constitution sets no time limit for when a bill must be presented to the President. Once presented, the 10-day window begins. If the President signs within 10 days, the bill becomes law. If the President does not sign but Congress is still in session, it also becomes law without his signature. Currently, Congress is focused on budget negotiations to avoid a government shutdown, which may delay attention to other legislative business, including the timing of presentment.
