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34-490: A joint committee ( Gemeinsamer Ausschuss ) comprises both members of Bundestag (two thirds) and representatives of the Länder (one third). It exists to ensure a working legislature during a state of defense . A mediation committee ( Vermittlungsausschuss ), consisting in equal numbers of members of Bundestag and representatives of the states, facilitates compromises between Bundestag and Bundesrat in legislation - especially if

68-509: A new state cabinet enters office. The Joint Committee may take over certain powers of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat if a state of defence has been declared and if Bundestag and Bundesrat are unable to convene because of "insurmountable obstacles". The Joint Committee may take this decision itself with a two-thirds majority of members present, which has to equal a majority of all members. After that,

102-616: Is chaired by the President of the Bundestag (or one of the Vice Presidents , if the President stands as a candidate – as was the case with Karl Carstens in 1979). The procedure of the election of the Bundespräsident consists of a maximum of three secret votes by written ballot . If one of the first two votes ends with an absolute majority for one of the candidates, this candidate

136-576: Is designed as an emergency parliament in the case of a State of Defence . It consists of 48 members of which two thirds are members of the Bundestag and one third are members of the Bundesrat , the latter representing the governments of the states of Germany ( Länder ). It was established in 1968 by an amendment of the Basic Law . Ever since then, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat have elected members to serve on

170-476: Is elected immediately. If the first two votes do not lead to an absolute majority, a plurality is sufficient on the third and final vote. The President of the Bundestag closes the session of the Bundesversammlung immediately, after the result is declared. Thus, the convention is irrevocably dissolved until it is reconvened for the next election. This means that even if the elected president would not accept

204-557: Is elected without a debate at the Federal Convention. The candidates are usually nominated by one or more parties but do not generally run a campaign. Each member of the Bundesversammlung may suggest candidates for the office of the Federal President. This means that not only parliamentary groups from the Bundestag can present a candidate but also small parties which may not be represented in the Bundestag. The Bundesversammlung

238-498: The Bundestag do. Since 1979, the Bundesversammlung has traditionally met on May 23, the anniversary of the Basic Law (1949). This has changed since the resignations of former presidents Horst Koehler and Christian Wulff . The most recent assembly of the Bundesversammlung was held on 13 February 2022, where Frank-Walter Steinmeier was re-elected. On 12 September 1949, the first Bundesversammlung met in Bonn , which served as

272-842: The Ecclesiastical Committee and the Intelligence and Security Committee . A Joint Committee of the United States Congress is a congressional committee consisting of both Senate and House members and having jurisdiction over matters of joint interest. An example of a joint committee is the Joint Committee on the Library . Most joint committees are permanent (as with the Library Committee) but temporary joint committees have been created to address specific issues (such as

306-448: The House of Representatives have conflicting versions. The committee has the same number of members from each chamber. Once passed, the chambers then have to approve the version passed by the bicameral conference committee in order for it to be sent for the president's signature. If Congress is short on time, a chamber may approve the other chamber's version instead. A Joint Committee of

340-710: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War during the American Civil War ). Joint committees are also a feature for upper and lower houses of State legislatures in some States. Gemeinsamer Ausschuss The Joint Committee (German: Gemeinsamer Ausschuss ) is, together with the Federal Convention , one of two non-steady constitutional bodies in the institutional framework of the Federal Republic of Germany . It

374-405: The state or 'Länder' parliaments specifically for this purpose, proportional to their population. According to federal law, every member of a state parliament has one vote. The delegates are elected with lists and proportional vote. Some details are dealt with by the standing orders of the state parliament. In many state parliaments, the members vote on a joint list that mirrors the strengths of

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408-438: The 16 federated states . Those delegates are elected by the state parliaments for this purpose only. Each Federal Convention is convened by the incumbent President of the Bundestag in due course. Normally, this takes place during the last months of a sitting President's current term of office. The Convention must meet no later than thirty days before the end of the term, with the state parliaments needing sufficient time between

442-896: The Beethovenhalle in Bonn . Since 1994, the meeting place has been the Reichstag building in Berlin. After the renovation of the Reichstag, the German Bundestag moved to the building in April 1999. Since the meeting of the Bundesversammlung held in May 1999, the body has convened in the plenary chamber at the Reichstag building, except that the 2022 Bundesversammlung took place at the Paul-Löbe-Haus in Berlin, with delegates spread over several floors, due to

476-494: The Bundestag, it may vote the Chancellor out of office via a constructive vote of no confidence , but only with a two-thirds majority of its members. If a vacancy occurs, it may elect a new Chancellor upon proposal of the President of Germany and with a majority of members. However, the Bundestag and Bundesrat always retain full authority to act, even in a state of defence; they can at any time repeal laws that have been passed by

510-633: The Constitution ("legislative state of emergency", Gesetzgebungsnotstand ), but such laws must also be confirmed by the Bundesrat and the President. Since the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany, neither a State of Defense, an activation of the Joint Committee nor a legislative state of emergency has occurred. During a 1989 exercise in the Government bunker, Gertrud Schilling , member of

544-590: The Evacuational Site of the Constitutional Bodies ( Ausweichsitz der Verfassungsorgane ). Large exercises were held every second year including mock meetings of the Joint Committee. Federal Convention (Germany) The Federal Convention , also known as the Federal Assembly ( German : Bundesversammlung ), is, together with the Joint Committee , one of two non-steady constitutional bodies in

578-710: The Irish Oireachtas (parliament) comprises members of both Dáil Éireann (the lower house) and Seanad Éireann (the upper house). A Joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is a parliamentary committee consisting of members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords . Joint Committees can be permanent or temporary. Three permanent committees meet on a regular basis to consider Human Rights , National Security Strategy and Statutory Instruments . A Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills , which

612-411: The Joint Committee are not public. The provision has been criticised for being able to oust the directly elected Bundestag, in a case where the Joint Committee would vote to establish a state of defense and take power. Another concern is the combination of members of the Bundestag and Bundesrat, compromising the federal checks and balances system and the separation of powers . However, the purpose of

646-493: The Joint Committee for The Greens , said that the Joint Committee's function was severely hampered by the fact that it would be cut off from the outside world with all means of communication being controlled by the government. In case of war, the Joint Committee, along with other federal organs, would have been evacuated to the Government Bunker , a vast underground secret complex 25 km south of Bonn officially called

680-462: The Joint Committee is to ensure a democratically legitimate and functioning legislature even during a state of attack, such as a nuclear war. It is an unusual institution since in many other countries, the constitution simply designates the government (executive) to exercise legislative powers and issue urgent laws during an emergency. The latter is also a possibility in Germany, according to article 81 of

714-630: The Joint Committee may in principle enact federal laws in place of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. Laws enacted by the Joint Committee expire automatically six months after the end of the State of Defence, if they have not previously been reconfirmed by the Bundestag and, if applicable, by the Bundesrat. The Joint Committee may under no circumstance change the Basic Law, change the borders of the German states or transfer sovereign rights to supranational organisations. Like

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748-407: The Joint Committee, pass laws themselves, and otherwise their decisions take precedence over those of the Joint Committee in case of doubt. In practice, the committee can only exercise its powers when the Bundestag and Bundesrat are truly no longer able to meet; it cannot be used to disempower the regular constitutional bodies against their will. The Bundestag appoints 32 of its members according to

782-710: The capital of the Federal Republic of Germany before reunification with East Germany. From 1954 to 1969 the Bundesversammlung was convened at the Ostpreußenhalle in Berlin , leading to protests from the German Democratic Republic on each occasion it met. As a consequence, on March 5, 1969, the Soviet Union sent MiG-21 warplanes to fly over the venue in West Berlin . From 1974 to 1989, the Bundesversammlung met in

816-627: The coach of the national football team , for the Green Party in Baden-Württemberg and Olivia Jones , Germany's most famous drag queen , for the Green Party in Lower Saxony. Semiya Şimşek, daughter of a NSU terror victim, was elected by Die Linke in Thuringia. The idea behind this custom is to have the president be elected not only by politicians but by a broader segment of the population. Also,

850-487: The committee. However, since a state of defence has never been declared, the Joint Committee has never convened as of 2024. The constitutional role of the Joint Committee is defined in Article 53a of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany . The 32 members selected by the Bundestag are elected at the beginning of each legislative period. The sixteen state representatives are selected by their state governments whenever

884-505: The consent of Bundesrat is constitutionally required. In India, a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is one type of ad hoc Parliamentary committee constituted by the Indian parliament . A Joint Parliamentary Committee is formed when a motion is adopted by one house and it is supported or agreed by the other house. A bicameral conference committee is formed for each bill where the Senate and

918-505: The convening and the meeting to elect state delegates. If the term of office of a President ends prematurely through resignation, death or impeachment, the Federal Convention must meet within thirty days. This has happened twice so far (2010 and 2012); in both cases, the President of the Bundestag convened the Assembly at the latest possible date. According to the Grundgesetz , the President

952-402: The election, the convention could not simply reconvene; rather, the president of the Bundestag would have to call a new convention, for which the state parliaments would first have to elect delegates again. Normally, the new president takes office thirty days after the election at the earliest, as the term of office of the predecessor is still continuing. Only in the case of a vacancy (e.g. after

986-420: The institutional framework of the Federal Republic of Germany . It is convened solely for the purpose of electing the President of Germany , no later than 30 days before the expiration of a sitting President's term or within 30 days of the premature termination of a presidential term. The Federal Convention consists of all members of the German federal parliament ( Bundestag ) and the same number of delegates from

1020-400: The parliamentary groups. A delegate for the Federal Convention must meet one certain standard: they must also be eligible for a candidacy for the Bundestag. The parliamentary groups sometimes elect delegates who are not politicians. For example, they choose artists, sports persons or other celebrities, or occasionally an ordinary citizen with an unusual story. Examples from 2017 are Jogi Löw ,

1054-399: The political parties like to be associated with the celebrities. They expect these non-politicians to vote within party lines. The voting in the Federal Convention is secret. From the time of their nomination until the closing of the session of the Federal Convention its members enjoy parliamentary immunity with regard to prosecution by public authorities in very much the same way as members of

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1088-513: The resignation of the predecessor, as happened in 2010 and 2012), the elected person takes office immediately upon acceptance of the election. Irrespective of this, a newly elected president does not take the oath of office before the Federal Convention, but after taking office in a joint session of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. The Bundesversammlung includes the entire membership of the Bundestag , and an equal number of state delegates elected by

1122-464: The size of party groups. Each of the 16 state governments appoints one member who shall also be a member of the Bundesrat and one substitute member. The President of the Bundestag is always a member, representing his or her party group, and is the chairperson of the Joint Committee. Unlike in the Bundesrat, where states may direct their delegates on how to vote, the representatives in the Joint Committee are not bound by any instructions. Deliberations of

1156-495: Was first appointed in 1894, considers all bills that seek to consolidate existing statutes. In a similar way, a Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills scrutinizes all bills that seek to simplify tax laws. Temporary committees have considered specific topics ranging from draft bills on financial services and climate change to restoration of the Palace of Westminster . There are two statutory committees that have members from both Houses,

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