Disagreement between the Two Houses
A bill that has been passed by one house should go through
exactly the same stages of deliberation in the other house.
As a general rule, a bill becomes a law after passage by both
houses. A bill that is passed by the House of Representatives
but rejected by the House of Councillors can still become law
if it is passed a second time by the House of Representatives
by a majority of two-thirds or more of the members present.
This provision shall also apply if the House of Councillors
fails to take final action within 60 days of receipt of a
bill passed by the House of Representatives, time in recess
not included. It is open to each of the two houses, if they
disagree on the text of a bill, to call for the convening of
a conference committee of both houses. A conference committee
of both houses is composed of 20 members, each house electing
half of them. A conference committee quorum is two-thirds of
the members from each house, and there must be a majority of
two-thirds of the members present for the matter to be
approved. Two chairmen - one from each house with each
elected by the committee members from his or her own
house - preside over the meetings alternately, lots being
drawn to decide who presides first. If no agreement can be
reached, the chairman of the conference committee of each
house reports this fact to his or her house.
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