Chapter XIII: Section V: Legislation of the Realm

ARTICLE 68.

Bills shall be introduced by the Government, or from the body of the House.

Acts of the Realm shall be passed by the Reichstag.

ARTICLE 69.

Bills proposed by the Government require the consent of the Reichsrat. Should the Government and the Reichsrat fail to come to an agreement, the Government may nevertheless introduce its Bill, but must append the dissenting opinion of the Reichsrat. Should the Reichsrat pass a Bill from which the Government dissents, the Government must introduce such Bill in the Reichstag together with an exposition of its own views.

ARTICLE 70.

The President of the Realm shall have laws, constitutionally passed, properly engrossed, and shall proclaim them, within a month, in the Gazette of the Realm.

ARTICLE 71.

Acts of the Realm, unless otherwise provided, come into force on the fourteenth day after the date of publication of the Gazette in the capital of the Realm.[29]

ARTICLE 72.

Proclamation of an act of the Realm shall be deferred for two months on request of one-third of the Reichstag. Laws which the Reichstag and the Reichsrat declare to be urgent may be proclaimed by the President of the Realm notwithstanding this request.

ARTICLE 73.

An Act passed by the Reichstag must, before being proclaimed, be submitted to a plebiscite, should the President of the Realm so decide within a month.

An Act whereof the proclamation has been deferred on request of one-third of the members of the Reichstag must be submitted to plebiscite should one-twentieth of the voters demand it.

A plebiscite must further be taken if one-tenth of the voters demand the introduction of a Bill; such a popular request must be based on a Bill prepared in due form. The Government of the Realm must inform the Reichstag of such request together with an explanation of its own views. No plebiscite shall be held should the Reichstag accept the Bill demanded without amendment.

The President of the Realm is alone entitled to institute a plebiscite concerning the budget, taxation, or payment of officials.

An act of the Realm shall make further provisions as to such plebiscite and initiative.

ARTICLE 74.

The Reichsrat can veto acts passed by the Reichstag.

Such veto must be communicated to the Reichstag by the Government within two weeks after its passage, and within two further weeks the reasons therefor must also be submitted.

In case of such veto the act affected shall be submitted to the Reichstag for reconsideration. Should the Reichstag and Reichsrat fail to reach agreement by this means, the President of the Realm may, within three months, refer the issue to a plebiscite. Should the President fail to exercise this right, the act shall lapse. Should the Reichstag, by a two-thirds majority, decide against the veto of the Reichsrat, the President must, within three months, either proclaim the act as passed by the Reichstag, or order a plebiscite.

ARTICLE 75.

No vote of the Reichstag may be abrogated by plebiscite unless a majority of the voters record their votes.

ARTICLE 76.

The constitution may be legislatively amended. Nevertheless constitutional amendments by the Reichstag are only valid if two-thirds of the members are present, and at least two-thirds of those present are in favour. Further, constitutional amendments by the Reichsrat require a majority of two-thirds of the recorded votes. Should a plebiscite be held by popular initiation on a constitutional amendment, a majority of the electorate must be in favour.

Should the Reichstag vote a constitutional amendment over the veto of the Reichsrat the President shall not proclaim such act should the Reichsrat, within two weeks, demand a plebiscite.[30]

ARTICLE 77.

The Government of the Realm shall, unless otherwise enacted, issue general administrative regulations for the execution of acts of the Realm. The assent of the Reichsrat is requisite where the execution of a national law rests with the Government of a Land.