MaktkartanPublished: Text updated:
The proposal appears
Most laws begin with the government. A problem is investigated, often by a commissioner or a committee, and the inquiry is published as a government official report or a ministry memorandum.
The proposal is circulated for comment. Agencies, municipalities, organisations and others give their views. The responses are public.
A member of the Riksdag can also raise a proposal through a motion. During the general motion period in the autumn, members may file motions on almost anything.
The Council on Legislation and the bill
Before the government submits a legislative proposal to the Riksdag, it must in many cases be examined by the Council on Legislation, made up of justices from the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. The Council examines, among other things, how the proposal relates to the fundamental laws.
The government's finished proposal is submitted to the Riksdag as a bill. It contains the legal text and the reasons behind the proposal.
The committee prepares the matter
Every matter is prepared in one of the Riksdag's committees. The committee reviews the bill together with the motions filed on the same question and delivers a report with a proposed decision.
Members who disagree may attach a reservation to the report. The reservation shows what the committee minority wanted instead.
The chamber decides
The report is debated in the chamber and then goes to a decision. The Riksdag may approve or reject the proposal, in whole or in part. When there is disagreement a division is held, and every member's vote is recorded openly.
Amendments to the fundamental laws follow a special procedure: the Riksdag must take two identical decisions with a general election in between.
The law enters into force
After the Riksdag's decision the government promulgates the law and it is published in the Swedish Code of Statutes. That is where the date of entry into force is stated.
Agencies then apply the law in their work, and the courts examine it in individual cases.