Making Laws

The lawmaking process is a result of a number of procedures previously established that support the members of the Parliament in their task to legislate and control. These procedures are called Legislative Process.

The rule that steers the legislative process in the Chamber of Deputies is the Internal Regulations.

The initiative

The origin of the legislative process in the National Congress happens with the introducing of the following propositions: bills, resolution, legislative decree, provisional decree, and amendments to the Constitution.

The members of the Parliament have the initiative of the lawmaking process, as well as the President of the Republic, the Supreme Court, the Higher Courts, the Republic's General Attorney and citizens.

• Types of Legislation

Committees and Plenary

All propositions are discussed in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate and pass by various stages of analysis and voting. The analysis of constitutionality, admission and merits are made in the Committees. Those subjects over which the Committees do not have Conclusive Power are deliberated in the Plenary, the most important structure of both Houses and which is in charge of great part of the decisions of the Parliament. Conclusive Power is the discussion and voting of a bill by the Committees, when the appreciation of the Plenary is dismissed, except for those cases when there is an appeal of one-tenth of the members of the Chamber.

• The role of the Committees

The President

After the National Congress deliberations, there is still the Executive deliberation, that is, the President of the Republic may sanction (approve) or veto (prohibit) the proposition. In the first case, the bill becomes a law. In the case of the veto, the bill is sent back to the Congress, that decides for the maintenance or the fall of the veto.

If the bill is sanctioned, it goes to a complementary phase in which the President of the Republic has a 48 hours term to promulgate it.