Заң жобасын ұсыну құқығы: Конституциялық негіздер мен тәжірибелер

Constitutional power to propose a new law

The right of (legislative) initiative is the constitutionally defined power to propose a new law (bill) in a legislature. The right of initiative is usually given to both the government (executive) and individual legislators. However, some systems may restrict this right to legislators acting alone or with others (such as in the United States) or to the government (such as in the European Union). This, however, does not preclude the executive from suggesting the introduction of certain laws to their backers in the legislature, or even from members of the executive from introducing laws by themselves in systems that allow simultaneous membership in the executive and the legislature. Bicameral legislatures may restrict or have the right of initiative restricted to the members of the lower house only, or allow members of the upper house to introduce bills to the lower house (such as in the Czech Republic).

In Belgium, the executive (officially the king and his ministers, but the king has no actual power) as well as members of the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives have the right of initiative. The executive must always exercise its right of initiative in the House (according to Belgian separation of powers, the executive also has the right of initiative). If the Senate or the House exercises its right of initiative, it is referred to as a law project (wetsontwerp in Dutch, projet de loi in French). If the executive does so, this is referred to as a law proposal (wetsvoorstel in Dutch, proposition de loi in French). If the executive submits a bill, it must be sent to the Legislation Department of the Council of State for advice. This is a substantial requirement of form, i. e. non compliance can lead to the annulment of the law.

In France, ministerial bills are called law projects and parliament's bills are called law proposals.

In France, bills are proposed by the government. One of the ministers propose the bill to those concerned by his or her application. Then, if the different ministers agree, the bill is sent to the secrétariat général du gouvernement and then to the Conseil d'État, the Council of Ministers, Parliament, and so on
The Conseil d'État (and sometimes the Constitutional Council) has the duty to advise the government on projects of law.

The European Commission has a near monopoly for legislative initiative, whereas in many Parliamentary systems there is a mechanism whereby members of the parliament may introduce bills. This ranges from insignificant in the UK Parliament (see Private Members' Bills in the Parliament of the United Kingdom), through quite significant in the Israeli Knesset, to being the only way bills can be introduced in the US Congress. In most parliaments, the ability of members to introduce legislation is severely limited in practice. Under the Treaty of Maastricht enhanced by the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament has an indirect right of legislative initiative that allows it to ask the Commission to submit a proposal, though to reject the request the Commission only needs to "inform the European Parliament of the reasons". Member states also have an indirect right of legislative initiative concerning the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Over 80% of all proposals by the Commission were initially requested by other bodies. Some politicians, including Jean Pierre Chevènement and Dominique Strauss Kahn, feel that the Commission's monopoly on legislative initiative prevents the emergence or development of real democratic debate. Citizens also have legislative initiative in the EU by the procedure of a European Citizens' Initiative, in which at least a million signatures by EU citizens need to be obtained in at least a quarter of EU member states.