The Philippine Independence Act

(Tydings-McDuffie Law) Public Law 73-127 24 March 1934 An act to provide for the complete independence of the Philippine Islands, to provide for the adoption of a constitution and a form of government for the islands, and for other purposes.

The Tydings-McDuffie Act (officially the Philippine Independence Act; Public Law 73127) approved on March 24, 1934 was a United States federal law which provided for self-government of the Philippines and for Filipino independence (from the United States) after a period of ten years. It was authored by Maryland Senator Millard E. Tydings and Alabama Representative John McDuffie.

In 1934, Philippine politician Manuel L. Quezon headed a "Philippine Independence mission" to Washington, DC that successfully secured the act's passage in Congress.

The TydingsMcDuffie Act authorized and specified a procedural framework for, within two years of its enactment, the drafting of a Constitution for the government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. The act specified a number mandatory constitutional provisions, and required approval of the constitution by the U.S. President and by the Filipino people. The act mandated U.S. recognition of independence of the Philippine Islands as a separate and self-governing nation after a ten year transition period. Prior to independence, the act allowed the U.S to maintain military forces in the Philippines and to call all military forces of the Philippine government into U.S. military service. The act empowered the U.S. President, within two years following independence, to negotiate matters relating to U.S. naval reservations and fueling stations of in the Philippine Islands.

The act reclassified all Filipinos, including those that were living in the United States, as aliens for the purposes of immigration to America. Filipinos were no longer allowed to work legally in the US,[citation needed] and a quota of 50 immigrants per year was established.

One effect of the act was to pave the way for the Filipino Repatriation Act of 1935. [1]

the Philippines became independent exactly as scheduled a decade before, on July 4, 1946.

In government, unicameralism (Latin uni, one + camera, chamber) is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house. Some countries with unicameral legislatures are often small and homogeneous unitary states and consider an upper house or second chamber unnecessary.

In the government, bicameralism (Latin bi, two + camera, chamber) is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses. A Bicameralism is an essential and defining feature of the classical notion of mixed government. Bicameral legislatures tend to require a concurrent majority to pass legislation.