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Powers of the United Assembly |
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Le parlement
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The 89 members of the Parliament are also called upon to deliberate on other than strictly regional and inter-borough matters. This is because the special law of 12 January 1989 relating to Brussels institutions stipulates that members of the two linguistic groups, i.e. the 89 deputies, shall together make up the United Assembly of the Joint Commission for Community matters.
The political composition of the United Assembly, the presidency, the Administrative Board and the Plenary Board and their functions, including the departments of the United Assembly are all identical to those of the Parliament of the Region of Brussels-Capital.
Powers
Subject to some occasionally important exceptions , the United Assembly exercises legislative power both with respect to institutions not belonging exclusively to one of the two linguistic Communities (dual Community institutions) and to people in the following matters :
- health policy (the policy of providing care in and outside the institutions concerned, health education, preventive medicine),
- public assistance (family policy, social policy, handicapped persons, senior citizens, youth, immigrants, social assistance for detainees, etc).
In matters of common interest, the United Assembly can vote bye-laws relating to affairs which the Constitution attributes to the French and Flemish Communities (art. 61 of the law relating to Brussels institutions), in order to create or subsidise dual Community institutions.
Ordinances and bye-laws
In exactly the same way as the Parliament, the United Assembly legislates by way of ordinances and bye-laws. It exercises all its powers through ordinances, except when acting as an organizing authority in community matters, in which case it enacts bye-laws.
Double majority
The United Assembly legislates according to the same procedure as that followed by the Parliament, with the restriction that each resolution must obtain a majority vote in each linguistic group.
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