Legislation

Overview of Legislation

• Legislation requires identifying a concrete issue in a comprehensive way.
• Drafters and policy-makers consider the best avenues to address problem areas.
• Possible solutions within bill provisions include implementing sanctions and targeting indirect behaviors.
• Legislation is usually proposed by a member of the legislature or the executive.
• Most large legislatures enact only a small fraction of the proposed bills.

Public Participation in Legislation

• Popular sovereignty declares the people as the ultimate source of public power.
• The concept of popular sovereignty allows for direct participation in law-making.
• Democratic control over the legislative system can occur even with limited understanding.
• Civic education strengthens public participation and confidence in the legislative process.

Dead Letter Laws

• Dead letter refers to legislation that has become inapplicable, obsolete, or no longer enforced.
• Dead letter laws have not been officially revoked.
• This section requires expansion.

Related Concepts

• Rule according to higher law.
• Article 289(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union distinguishes between legislative acts and non-legislative acts.
• The African Parliamentary Knowledge Network Legislative Handbook emphasizes using evidence to design and assess legislation.
• The Public Participation in the Drafting of Legislation in Hungary explores the role of public participation.
• The New International Encyclopedia contains information on legislation.

Legislation Data Sources