Parlamentary Activity and the Legislative Procedure

There are all kinds of aspects to the work of the Assembly of the Republic, and you can find information about them here.

Once they have been admitted to the Assembly of the Republic, you can research legislative initiatives and get the latest information on the details of the respective procedure. The competence to initiate legislation lies with the Members of the Assembly of the Republic, the parliamentary groups and the Government; when the legislation concerns an Autonomous Region, the initiative may be taken by the respective Legislative Assembly; and the law also sets out the terms and conditions under which groups of registered electors can submit legislative initiatives. You can also consult the legislation that has already been passed by the Assembly of the Republic. Until it is enacted by the President of the Republic, that legislation takes the form of a Decree of the Assembly of the Republic; following enactment, it is published as a law. In addition to Decrees, the Assembly also passes Resolutions and Decisions.

Among the broader range of parliamentary activities, you can also find out about official ceremonies, special votes, the Assembly's political scrutiny function, international parliamentary relations, and the appointment of members of external entities by the Assembly of the Republic.

Members of the Assembly of the Republic may put questions and make requests to the Government and the Public Administration, which are legally obliged to respond within thirty days. Members can either pose direct questions, or ask for clarifications about any of a whole range of issues, such as the current status of a given works project, or the respective call for tenders, or which public or private entity has been awarded the contract to build a hospital, school or any other social facility... Members are entitled to receive any data, information and official publications that they consider useful to the exercise of their mandate from the organs of any public entity, although Government or Public Administration acts concerning matters covered by the law on state secrets are excluded.

Citizens may submit Petitions to the President of the Assembly of the Republic, for consideration by the parliamentary committee(s) with responsibility for the matter in question. If a petition is signed by more than 4,000 citizens, it can even ask that a given matter of interest be considered by the Plenary itself. Such petitions and the details of the procedure each one is following may also be consulted.