The legislative process is a procedure for the approval and entry into force of legislative acts. The procedure begins with the introduction of the draft and ends with the publication of the approved act.
In Russia, the following stages of the legislative process are determined:
1). Legislative Initiative. The right to submit a draft to the State Duma is vested in the Council of Federations, the President, State Duma deputies, the Government, legislative bodies in the constituent entities of the Federation, and the Courts (Constitutional, Arbitration, Supreme and Supreme).
2). The legislative process includes consideration of the draft. As a rule, it is examined three times. In the first reading, the State Duma analyzes the general provisions, in the second - a thorough study and amendment is carried out. In the third reading, the bill is either approved or not in general.
3). Adoption of laws. In the Russian Federation, this procedure is carried out by voting. Federal acts are approved by a majority vote. The approval of laws on a referendum, the adoption of a new entity into the state, martial law or a state of emergency is carried out with the approval of two third votes. Approved acts are submitted to the Federation Council within five days.
4). The legislative process also includes the stage of approval of laws in the Federation Council. Federal acts are considered approved if more than half of the members cast their vote for them. The approval of the Federal constitutional laws is carried out if more than three fourth of all members have voted for them. Rejection or approval of the act must be made no later than within two weeks.
5). Signing of laws is carried out by the President of the country. The head of state may, in turn, approve the act or veto it. The President must make a decision within two weeks. The rejected law is sent again to the State Duma to finalize and make the necessary amendments. The presidential veto is overturned if two-thirds of the members of the State Duma and the Federation Council vote in favor of the approval of the act in the previously approved version. In this case, the law must be signed by the President within a week.
6). Publication of the act and its entry into force. The legislative process completes the promulgation of the law, which was signed by the President. It is carried out within a week. The approved and signed act shall enter into force within ten days (unless otherwise specified), after the publication of its text in special publications.
The validity of a legal norm in time begins from the moment it entered into force and ends when it loses its legal force. This can happen due to the expiration of the law (for example, martial law was introduced for a period of three months), direct cancellation or replacement of one act by another. Normally, regulations are not retroactive. This means that in the case of an offense, the law in force at the time of its commission is used. An exception to this can be new laws that provide for the elimination or mitigation of liability for an unlawful act that has taken place, or other situations stipulated in a special order.
There are restrictions on legal norms in space. Certain laws are only valid in specific territories. For example, approved regulations in one state do not apply in another country. Certain laws may only apply within a specific region. The definition of standards of activity beyond national borders is carried out by special agreements or legal acts of the respective countries.
As a rule, laws apply to the entire population of the state, as well as to foreign citizens and stateless persons who are on its territory. In other cases, the text of the regulatory act separately defines those persons to whom it applies.