particularly urgent, the period shall be three weeks or, if the Federal
Government has demanded an extension pursuant to the third sentence of this
paragraph, six weeks. In the case of bills to amend this Basic Law or to transfer
sovereign powers pursuant to Article 23 or 24 the comment period shall be nine
weeks; the fourth sentence of this paragraph shall not apply. The Bundestag
shall consider and vote on bills within a reasonable time.
Article 77: [Legislative procedure - Mediation Committee] •
Division of labor between chambers
1. Federal laws shall be adopted by the Bundestag. After their adoption the
President of the Bundestag shall submit them to the Bundesrat without delay.
2. Within three weeks after receiving an adopted bill, the Bundesrat may demand
that a committee for joint consideration of bills, composed of Members of the
Bundestag and of the Bundesrat, be convened. The composition and
proceedings of this committee shall be regulated by rules of procedure adopted
by the Bundestag and requiring the consent of the Bundesrat. The members of
the Bundesrat on this committee shall not be bound by instructions. When the
consent of the Bundesrat is required for a bill to become law, the Bundestag and
the Federal Government may likewise demand that such a committee be
convened. Should the committee propose any amendment to the adopted bill,
the Bundestag shall vote on it a second time.
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Legislative committees
2a. Insofar as its consent is required for a bill to become law, the Bundesrat, if no
request has been made pursuant to the first sentence of paragraph (2) of this
Article or if the mediation proceeding has been completed without a proposal to
amend the bill, shall vote on the bill within a reasonable time.
3. Insofar as its consent is not required for a bill to become law, the Bundesrat,
once proceedings under paragraph (2) of this Article are completed, may within
two weeks object to a bill adopted by the Bundestag. The time for objection shall
begin, in the case described in the last sentence of paragraph (2) of this Article,
upon receipt of the bill as readopted by the Bundestag, and in all other cases
upon receipt of a communication from the chairman of the committee provided
for in paragraph (2) of this Article to the effect that the committee's proceedings
have been concluded.
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Legislative committees
