The agenda that the new deputies will inherit: the laws that survive the ballot boxes

For a Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) to become law in Spain, it must pass the requirements check, get the Congress to accept debating it, and complete the legislative process in both Chambers. Citizen support allows promoting a proposal, but does not oblige Parliament to approve it nor to keep its content intact.

1. Presentation and verification of requirements

The citizen initiative is recognized in article 87.3 of the Constitution and developed by its organic legislation. Before entering political debate, it must meet legal requirements regarding presentation, admissible subjects, and proof of citizen backing.

The Congress Board verifies this compliance. Article 127 of the Congress Rules establishes that if the requirements are met, the ILP will follow the procedure for bills. The proposal must be accompanied by a statement of reasons and the necessary background to pronounce on it.

2. Publication and referral to the Government

The Board orders the publication of the bill and sends it to the Government. The Government may express its opinion on the proposal and state its budgetary agreement or disagreement when it implies increasing credits or decreasing budget revenues.

After thirty working days without an express refusal to process it for that reason, it is ready to be included on the Plenary agenda. This does not mean it is already approved nor that it must be voted on immediately: it still requires the corresponding parliamentary debate.

3. Consideration by the Congress

The Plenary holds the consideration vote: it decides whether to accept starting the legislative examination of the initiative. Before the debate, the Government's opinion is read, if it exists.

• If Congress rejects it, the initiative does not continue by this route.
• If it accepts it, the Board sends it to the competent committee and opens the amendment period.

This vote does not yet approve a law: it only allows continuing its parliamentary development.

4. Amendments, drafting committee, and committee

After consideration, the ILP essentially follows the common legislative procedure. Deputies and groups may submit amendments to delete, modify, or add provisions. Total return amendments are not admitted in this case.

A drafting committee, formed within the committee, studies the text and amendments and drafts a report. Then, the committee debates the articles and approves a report. The modifications may substantially alter the citizen proposal.

Approval corresponds to the Plenary or, when appropriate, to the committee with full legislative competence, that is, authorized to approve the text without a final plenary vote.

5. Senate examination and final decision

Once approved in Congress, the text is sent to the Senate, which may accept it, introduce amendments, or veto it. If it modifies or vetoes it, it returns to Congress:

• Senate amendments are incorporated if they obtain a simple majority.
• The veto can be lifted by an absolute majority; if not reached, after two months it can be lifted by a simple majority. If still not achieved, the text is rejected.

6. Completion and continuity

Parliamentary approval must be distinguished from subsequent acts of sanction, promulgation, and publication of the law. Additionally, ILPs have special protection: they do not automatically expire due to the dissolution of the Chambers, although the Board may agree to revert their processing. Therefore, presenting an ILP, obtaining its consideration, and achieving a law are distinct milestones.

Insufficient information was found in the consulted sources to offer a well-founded comparison of the legislative competencies of the parliaments of the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Valencian Community, and Asturias. Therefore, it would not be rigorous to attribute specific subjects or powers to each chamber without contrasting the statutes of autonomy and applicable regulations.

To answer your question, the comparison must distinguish between the powers of each parliament —which laws it can approve and by what procedures— and the competencies of its autonomous community —on which subjects it can legislate and with what limits—. Without that contrast, a list of subjects could confuse legislative competencies with purely executive functions.

A reform of a Statute of Autonomy must respect the reform procedure provided in the Statute itself and be approved by organic law. The decisive majority is the absolute majority of the Congress in a final vote on the entire text; it should not be confused with the majorities required to amend the Constitution.

1. Previously comply with the Statute's rules

There is no completely uniform procedure for all autonomous communities. The conditions of the corresponding Statute must be respected: who can initiate the reform, what majority the autonomous Parliament needs, how its delegation intervenes before the Cortes, and whether a referendum is necessary.

Therefore, approval by the Cortes does not replace the autonomous requirements. Article 145 of the Congress Rules states: "The reform of a Statute of Autonomy, processed according to the rules established therein, will require approval by Organic Law."

2. Obtain approval from the Congress

The proposal must pass its admission and corresponding parliamentary procedures: when appropriate, consideration —the decision to start processing it—, submission of amendments, study in drafting committee, committee report, and Plenary debate. Statutory specialities may introduce mechanisms of participation and agreement with the autonomous representation.

The central requirement appears in article 131: the final vote on the whole requires the favorable vote of more than half of the members of Congress, not only those present. Abstentions, therefore, do not help reach that majority.

If not obtained, the text returns to the committee, which must issue a new report within a month. If it also fails to achieve the absolute majority in the new vote, it is rejected. If it achieves it, it is sent to the Senate.

3. Overcome the Senate's intervention

The Senate examines the text and may approve it, introduce amendments, or issue a veto. The absolute majority required for organic laws is demanded in Congress: it is not automatically transferred to the Senate's ordinary approval.

The consulted documentation expressly develops the consequences of Senate decisions for Congress, although it does not reproduce the Senate's specific voting rule. If the Senate approves the text without modifying or vetoing it, no new Congress vote is needed for that reason.

4. Resolve amendments or veto

• Senate amendments: Congress decides which to accept by simple majority. Then, the text incorporating the accepted changes must obtain an absolute majority in a joint vote.
• If that joint vote fails: article 132 establishes that the initial Congress text is ratified and all Senate amendments are rejected.
• Senate veto: to lift it, Congress needs an absolute majority in any case. Since it is an organic law, it is not enough to wait two months and approve it by simple majority: that alternative of the common procedure is displaced by the specialty of article 132.

5. Complete pending autonomous requirements

State parliamentary approval should not be confused with the completion of all reform procedures. When the applicable procedure requires a referendum, that requirement must also be fulfilled, at the time and under the conditions established.

In short, statutory procedure, approval as organic law, and possible referendum must be jointly verified. Without identifying the specific Statute, an autonomous majority cannot be fixed nor can it be affirmed that the consultation is mandatory in all cases.