The main function of the Parliament is law-making. For this purpose, a specific method is followed. The measures introduced in the Parliament for law-making are called ‘Bills’ or ‘Draft Acts’. A bill is introduced in Parliament and it passes through deliberations at several stages. When the Parliament passes a bill, it sends it of the President of India for his signatures. It becomes a law after his signatures.
Kinds of Bills:
Bills for legislation are classified in the following categories:
1. Public Bill:
It is of universal nature and affects all or majority of the residents or the territory of the State.
2. Private Bill:
A Private bill relates to a particular section of the society or a private company or some organisations.
3. Government Bill:
A bill introduced by any ministers is called a governmental bill.
4. Private-Member Bill:
A bill introduced by any member of the Parliament other than a minister, is called a Private-Member Bill.
5. Money Bill:
A Money bill relates to the imposing, reducing or repealing of taxes or relating to the expenditure or income. A Money bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha.
General Features of Law-making:
(1) The Union Parliament can legislate over subjects of the Union List, and the Concurrent List. Residuary law-making power is also in its hands. In some exceptional circumstances, as specified by the Constitution, it can even legislate on subjects of the State List.
(2) The Union Parliament is not a sovereign legislature as it exercises only those law-making powers which have been given to it by the Constitution. The bills duly passed by the Parliament become laws only after the President of India puts his signatures on these. Further, the laws made by the Parliament are subject to the judicial review power of the Supreme Court of India, which can reject any law, in case it is held to be unconstitutional.
(3) A bill has to pass through several stages before it becomes a law.
(4) Every bill has to face scrutiny at the hands of an appropriate committee before it is finally passed by the Parliament.
(5) The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha enjoy equal law-making powers in respect of ordinary legislation. However, the Joint Sitting Method for resolving a deadlock over a bill between the two Houses, I favours the Lok Sabha vis-a-vis the Rajya Sabha.
(6) In respect of financial legislation, the Lok Sabha enjoys a distinctly superior position. A Money Bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha and that too only by a Minister. In case of any disagreement as to whether a bill is a Money Bill or not, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha decides the matter and his ruling is final.
A Money Bill passed by the Lok Sabha, nevertheless, goes to the Rajya Sabha. The latter can pass the bill within 14 days or return it to the Lok Sabha with its proposals for some changes in the bill. In this case, it is the discretion of the Lok Sabha to accept or reject the proposed amendments.
In case the Rajya Sabha fails to take any decision whatsoever and 14 days may pass, the Money Bill is considered to have been passed by it and, as such, becomes a law. Thus the Rajya Sabha plays only a delaying role in the sphere of financial legislation.
(7) A defeat of any government bill in the Lok Sabha is taken to be vote of no- confidence against the Council of Ministers. However, if it is defeated in the Rajya Sabha, the Council of Ministers remains unaffected.
(8) Bills passed by the Parliament become laws after the President puts his signatures on them. In this exercise the President depends on the advice of the Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers. He can, however, return any bill for reconsideration by the Parliament. In this case both the Houses of the Parliament have to re-pass it. The President has to essentially sign the re-passed Bill. It can be called suspensory veto power of the President.