Legislature
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{{unreferenced|date=December 2007}}
''{{Legislature}}
A '''Legislature''' is a type of representative [[deliberative assembly]] with the power to create, amend and ratify [[law]]s. The law created by a legislature is called [[legislation]] or [[statutory law]].
Legislatures are known by many names, the most common being [[parliament]] and [[congress]], although these terms also have more specific meanings. The main job of the legislature is to make and amend laws. In [[parliamentary system]]s of [[government]], the legislature is formally supreme and [[appoint]]s the [[executive branch|executive]]. In [[presidential system]]s of government, the legislature is considered a power branch which is equal to, and independent of, the executive. In addition to [[Act of Parliament|enacting]] laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise [[tax]]es and adopt the [[budget]] and other [[money bill]]s.''
The primary components of a legislature are one or more ''chambers'' or ''houses'': assemblies that [[debate]] and [[vote]] upon [[bill (proposed law)|bill]]s. A legislature with only one house is called [[unicameral]]. A [[bicameral]] legislature possesses two separate chambers, usually described as an upper house and a lower house, which often differ in duties, powers, and the methods used for the selection of members. Much rarer have been [[tricameral]] legislatures; the most recent existed in the waning years of [[Tricameral Parliament|white-minority rule]] in [[South Africa]].
In most [[parliamentary system]]s, the lower house is the more powerful house while the upper house is merely a chamber of advice or review.
However, in [[presidential systems]], the powers of the two houses are often similar or equal. In [[federation]]s it is typical for the upper house to represent the component states; the same applies to the supranational legislature of the [[European Union]]. For this purpose the upper house may either contain the delegates of state governments, as is the case in the [[European Union]] and in [[Germany]] and was the case in the [[United States]] before 1913, or be elected according to a formula that grants equal representation to states with smaller populations, as is the case in [[Australia]] and the modern [[United States]].
==Lists of titles of legislatures==
[[Image:Unibicameral Map.png|400px|thumb|{{legend|#38b4d8|Nations with [[Bicameralism|bicameral legislatures]].}}{{legend|#f09c30|Nations with [[Unicameralism|unicameral legislatures]].}}{{legend|#a0989f|No legislature.}}]]
===National===
*[[Assembly of the Republic|Assembleia da República]] — [[Portugal]]
*[[Assembly of Albania]] — [[Albania]]
*[[Bundestag]] — [[Germany]]
*[[Dewan Rakyat]] — [[Malaysia]]
*[[Legislative Yuan]] — [[Republic of China]]
*[[United States Congress|Congress]] — [[United States]]
*[[Cortes Generales]] — [[Spain]]
*[[Eduskunta]] — [[Finland]]
*[[Federal Assembly]] — [[Russia]], [[Switzerland]]
*[[Folketing]] — [[Denmark]]
*[[Knesset]] — [[Israel]]
*[[Majles Al-Ummah]] — [[Kuwait]]
*[[Majlis Permusyawaratan Rakyat]] — [[Indonesia]]
*[[Tithe an Oireachtais]] — [[Republic of Ireland]]
*[[Riksdag]] — [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]]
*[[Narodna Skupština]] — [[Serbia]] and [[Montenegro]]
*[[States-General of the Netherlands|Staten-Generaal]] — [[Netherlands|The Netherlands]]
*[[Stortinget]] — [[Norway]]
*[[Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]] — [[Vatican City]]
*[[Sabor]] — [[Croatia]] and [[Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
*[[Riigikogu]] — [[Estonia]]
*[[National Council of Austria|Nationalrat]] — [[Austria]]
*[[Saeima]] — [[Latvia]]
*[[Narodno Sabranie]] — [[Bulgaria]]
*[[Hellenic Parliament]] — [[Greece]]
===Sub-National===
*[[List of state legislatures of the United States]] — [[United States]]
** Legislature — Various, including [[Nebraska]]
**General Assembly / Assembly — Various
** General Court — [[Massachusetts]] and [[New Hampshire]]
**House of Delegates — [[lower house]]s of [[Maryland]], [[Virginia]] and [[West Virginia]]
*[[Landtag]] — [[Germany]], [[Austria]]
*[[Legislative Assemblies of Canada's provinces and territories|Canada]]
**Legislative Assembly — All [[Provinces and territories of Canada|provinces and territories]] except:
**National Assembly — [[Quebec]]
**House of Assembly — [[Nova Scotia House of Assembly|Nova Scotia]] and [[Newfoundland and Labrador]]
*[[Parliaments of the Australian states and territories|Australia]]
** Legislative Assembly - All States and Territories except:
** House of Assembly - [[South Australia]] and [[Tasmania]]
** Legislative Council - All States except [[Queensland Legislative Council|Queensland]]
*[[United Kingdom]]
**[[Scottish Parliament|Scottish Parliament/Pàrlamaid na h-Alba]] — [[Scotland]]
**[[Northern Ireland Assembly]] — [[Northern Ireland]]
**[[National Assembly for Wales]] — [[Wales]]
===Regional===
*[[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]] — [[Hong Kong]]
*[[Legislative Assembly of Macau]], Macau
{{law}}
[[Category:Legislatures| ]]
[[ar:هيئة تشريعية]]
[[zh-min-nan:Li̍p-hoat]]
[[be:Заканадаўчая ўлада]]
[[be-x-old:Заканадаўчая ўлада]]
[[ca:Poder legislatiu]]
[[da:Lovgivende magt]]
[[de:Legislative]]
[[et:Seadusandlik võim]]
[[es:Poder legislativo]]
[[eo:Leĝdona povo]]
[[fr:Pouvoir législatif]]
[[id:Legislatif]]
[[is:Löggjafarvald]]
[[it:Potere legislativo]]
[[he:פרלמנט]]
[[lb:Legislativ]]
[[lt:Įstatymų leidžiamoji valdžia]]
[[mk:Законодавна власт]]
[[ms:Legislatif]]
[[nl:Wetgevende macht]]
[[ja:立法府]]
[[no:Politisk forsamling]]
[[nn:Lovgjevande forsamling]]
[[pl:Władza ustawodawcza]]
[[pt:Poder legislativo]]
[[ru:Законодательная власть]]
[[bg:Законодателна власт]]
[[simple:Legislature]]
[[sl:zakonodajna oblast]]
[[sr:Законодавна власт]]
[[sv:Lagstiftande makt]]
[[th:อำนาจนิติบัญญัติ]]
[[tl:Tagapagbatas]]
[[tr:Yasama organı]]
[[vi:Lập pháp]]
[[zh:立法部門]]