Federal Law on the Rules of Procedure of the
National Council (Rules of Procedure Law of 1975)
as amended in 2005
and Annex: Rules of Procedure for Parliamentary Investigating Committees
Promulgations:
(BGBl. [Federal Law Gazette] No. 410/1975 as amended in BGBl. Nos 302/1979, 353/1986, 720/1988, 569/1993, 438/1996 and BGBl. I Nos 131/1997, 163/1998 and 29/2005)
Contents
(not part of the text of the Law)
I. Opening and Constitution of the National Council
§ 1. Letters of
credence and Members' passes
§ 2. Loss of
seat
§ 3.
Convocation and first sitting of the newly elected National Council
§ 4.
Swearing-in of Members
§ 5. Election
of Presidents, secretaries and whips
§ 6. Term of
office of the President and the Main Committee; provisions for cases in which
the Presidents are prevented from the exercise of their functions.
§ 7.
Constitution of Parliamentary Groups
§ 8. The
President's Conference
II. General Rights and Duties of Members
§ 9. Membership
and voting rights in the National Council
§ 10. Immunity
of Members
§ 11. Duties
of Members; provisions for cases in which Members are prevented from the
exercise of their functions.
§ 12.
Gender-specific designation of functions held by female office-holders
III. Duties of the Presidents, Secretaries and Whips
§ 13. General
duties of the President
§ 14. Internal
rules for the Parliament Buildings and administration of the budget;
Parliamentary Administration; publications
§ 15.
Representation of the President by other officers
§ 16. Duties
of Secretaries
§ 17. Duties
of Whips
§ 18.
Participation of Members of the Federal Government and State Secretaries in
proceedings of the National Council
§ 19. Right of
members of the Federal Government and of State Secretaries to take the floor in
the National Council
§ 20.
Participation of the President of the Court of Audit and of the members of the
Ombudsman's Office in the proceedings; their right to take the floor.
§ 21. Items of
business
§ 22. Immunity
from being called to account for publishing true accounts of public proceedings
§ 23. Copying
and distribution of items of business; announcement of receipt of same in
sittings of the National Council.
§ 24. Priority
of popular initiatives
§ 25.
Modification and withdrawal of submissions of the Federal Government or its
members
§ 26. Private
Members' motions
§ 27.
Committee motions
§ 28.
Proposals for coverage of costs in connection with private Members' motions.
§ 28a.
Procedure without preliminary deliberation by Committee
§ 28b. Final
deliberation of reports by committees
VI. Establishment of Committees and Consideration of Business during their Meetings
§ 29. The Main
Committee
§ 30. Election
of the Main Committee
§ 31. The
Standing Sub-Committees of the Main Committee
§ 31a.
Motions under § 29 (2) a,d and e
§ 31b.
Communications under Art. 23c (2 and 5) B-VG
§ 31c. Rules
of Procedure for the EU Main Committee
§ 31d. Rules
of Procedure for the EU Main Committee
§ 31e.
Standing Sub-Committee on Matters of the European Union; committee of the same
§ 32. Election
of the Committees for the preliminary deliberation of items of business;
changes in the relative strength of parliamentary groups; provisions for
substitute members
§ 32a. The
Budget Committee and its Standing Sub-Committee
§ 32b.
Standing Sub-Committees for the scrutiny of measures for the protection of the
Institutions provided for by the Federal Constitution
and their capacity to act, and for the scrutiny of measures of the information
services designed to ensure military defence.
§ 32c.
Information to be provided by the Federal Government
§ 32d.
Convocation and procedure of Standing Sub-Committees under § 32b.
§ 32e. The
Standing Sub-Committee of the Court of Audit Committee
§ 33.
Investigating committees
§ 34.
Constitution of committees, duties of chairpersons, debate on current issues
§ 35.
Establishment and procedure of sub-committees
§ 35a.
Reporting by sub-committees; deadlines for sub-committee reports
§ 36. Duties
of (sub)committee members; expiry of (sub)committee membership
§ 37.
Participation in (sub)committee deliberations
§ 38.
(Sub)committee minutes
§ 39.
Publication of (sub)committee deliberations; summary records of deliberations.
§ 40.
Investigations and summonses of experts and other witnesses; in situ inspections
§ 41.
Procedural provisions for committees and sub-committees
§ 42. Written
committee reports and minority reports as well as personal dissenting opinions
§ 43.
Deadlines for committee reports; brief debate on motion to set a deadline
§ 44.
Consideration of committee reports by the National Council
§ 45. Oral
reports on the activity of investigating committees
VIII. Sessions and Sittings of the National Council
§ 46. Sessions of
the National Council
§ 47. Sittings
open to the public; exclusion of the public
§ 48. Quorum
§ 49. Opening
of sittings and communications; modifications of the agenda
§ 50.
Announcement of sittings; objections to the agenda
§ 51. Official
records
§ 52.
Stenographic records
IX. General Provisions concerning the Consideration of Business in Sittings of the National Council
§ 53. Debates,
amendments, adjournment, referral of motions, entry upon the agenda
§ 54.
Deadlines in case of referral to committee
§ 55. Draft
resolutions relating to an item of business in hand
§ 56. Closure
motion
§ 57.
Speaking times
§ 57a. Brief
debates
§ 57b.Rules
governing conflicts in arranging for debates
§ 58. Factual
corrections and rejoinders thereto
§ 59.
Procedural motions and debate thereon
§ 60.
Requests for the floor and sequence of speakers in debate
§ 61. The
President as a speaker in debate
§ 62.Where
Members speak from
§ 63.
Speakers, final Statement of the Rapporteur
§ 64.
Exercising the right to vote
§ 65.
Sequence in which items are voted; objections thereto; separate votes
§ 66. Forms
of voting; voting by name and secret ballot
§ 67.
Postponement of voting
§ 68. Voting
rights of the President chairing the sitting; abstentions not permitted.
X. Special Provisions
regarding the Consideration of Bills
§ 69. Bills;
first reading
§ 70. Second
reading
§ 71. General
debate
§ 72. Special
debate
§ 73. Joint
general and special debates
§ 74. Third
reading
Xa. Urgent Motion
§ 74a. Urgent
motion
Xb. Special Provisions
regarding National Council Sittings devoted exclusively to the Consideration of
EU Matters
§ 74b.
Consideration of EU Matters
XI. Special Provisions
regarding the Consideration of Other Items of Business
§ 75. Private
Members' motions other than bills
§ 76.
Government proposals other than bills
§ 77.
Objections by the Federal Council
§ 78. Reports
to the National Council, general provisions
§ 79. Federal
Financial Accounts and reports of the Court of Audit
§ 80.
Immunity matters
§ 81.
Statements by members of the Federal Government; debates on such statements
XII. Decisions and
Elections
§ 82.
Requirements regarding decisions
§ 83.
Implementation of records of decisions
§ 84.
Referendums on bills adopted by the National Council
§ 85.
Referendums on Constitutional Amendments
§ 86.
Objections to a Federal Law
§ 87. Elections,
general provisions
§ 88.
Elections by ballot
XIII. Questions
§ 89. Written
questions to the President and Committee Chairpersons
§ 90.
Members' right to require scrutiny of the Federal Government's executive
activities
§ 91. Written
questions to the Federal Government or one of its members
§ 91a.
Written questions to the President of the Court of Audit
§ 92. Debate
of an answer to questions
§ 93. Urgent
consideration of a written question
§ 94. Oral
questions
§ 95.
Admissibility and sequence of oral questions
§ 96.
Procedure during Question Time
§ 97. Written
answers to oral questions
XIIIa. Debate on Matters
of Topical Interest
§ 97a.
Debate on matters of topical interest
XIV. Parliamentary
Hearings and Commissions of Enquiry
§ 98.
Decision to hold a hearing or set up a commission of enquiry; procedural
provisions regarding the commission of enquiry and its concluding report.
§ 98a.
Procedural provisions regarding hearings, stenographic records and other
publications in regard to hearings.
XV. Audit Instructions
to the Court of Audit
§ 99.
Instructions to carry out audits of special aspects of the administration of
public funds
XVI. Parliamentary
Petitions and Parliamentary Citizens' Initiatives
§ 100.
Petitions and Citizens' Initiatives: Submission, referral, copying and
distribution
§ 100a.
Procedural provisions for the Committee for Petitions and Citizens' Initiatives
§ 100b.
Discussion of incoming business, special procedural provisions
§ 100c.
Reporting to the National Council and consideration by the plenary
§ 100d.
Information to be given by the Parliamentary Administration.
XVII. Order in the House
§ 101. Call to
speak to the point
§ 102. Call
to order
§ 103. Request
for call to speak to the point or call to order; ex post facto call to
order
§ 104. Right
of President to interrupt speaker
§ 105.
Official language
§ 106.
Requests by Members outside sittings
§ 107.
Deadlines
XVIII. Concluding
Provisions
§ 108.
Amendments to this law
§ 109. Entry
into force of this law
