Primary legislation
Encyclopedia
Primary legislation is law made by the legislative branch of government
. This contrasts with secondary legislation, which is usually made by the executive branch. Secondary (or delegated) legislation must be authorised by primary legislation, and conform to boundaries it has laid down.
In the United Kingdom
, and other Commonwealth
nations, primary legislation takes the form of an Act of Parliament
, and in the United States
, it is (at federal level) an Act of Congress
. In European Union
law, the founding treaties are the main primary legislation.
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. This contrasts with secondary legislation, which is usually made by the executive branch. Secondary (or delegated) legislation must be authorised by primary legislation, and conform to boundaries it has laid down.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and other Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
nations, primary legislation takes the form of an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it is (at federal level) an Act of Congress
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
. In European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
law, the founding treaties are the main primary legislation.