What it is

Proposal to change how budget stability targets are approved

Committee step 4 of 7 · Unfinished

It is a members’ bill. Introduced by parliamentary groups, the Senate, regional governments or citizens. It was introduced on 24 August 2018. Introduced by: Grupo Parlamentario Socialista.

Official title: Private member's bill for an Organic Law reforming Organic Law 2/2012, of April 27, on Budgetary Stability and Financial Sustainability.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 122/000269· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

The bill would rewrite section 6 of Article 15 of 2/2012. If the Congress of Deputies approves the budget stability and public debt targets and the Senate rejects them, the targets would go back to the Congress, which could pass them with a simple majority.
If the targets are rejected, the Government would have at most one month to send a new proposal, which would follow the same procedure.
The authors argue that the current procedure gives the Senate a blocking power that the Constitution does not require, and that it could jeopardize Spain's budget obligations.
The reform would not change the requirement to seek reports from the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council of the Autonomous Communities and the National Commission of Local Administration, so the participation of the Autonomous Communities is fully preserved.

Who it affects

Congress of Deputies and Senate: Would see the roles of Congress and the Senate change when approving the stability and debt targets.
Government: Would have at most one month to send a new proposal if the targets are rejected.
Autonomous Communities and local entities: Keep their participation through the reports of their coordination bodies, which the bill does not change.

Words worth knowing

Objetivos de estabilidad presupuestaria y deuda pública (budget stability and public debt targets): Limits the Government proposes on how much public administrations may spend and owe.
Mayoría simple (simple majority): More votes in favor than against, without requiring a specific share of the seats.
Proposición de Ley Orgánica (bill for an organic law): A text proposed by parliamentary groups to change an organic law; here it is not yet approved.
organic law: A law on fundamental rights, the electoral system or other matters the Constitution reserves. It needs an absolute majority in the Congreso: 176 votes.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 4 of 7 steps. It reached Committee, and today it is unfinished.

Introduced24 August 2018Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
Admitted4 September 2018The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
Amendments1 October 2018Groups propose changes.
Committee2 November 2018A committee goes through the text in detail.
Plenarynot reachedAll 350 deputies vote.
Senatenot reachedThe Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
BOEnot reachedIt is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.

See the 11 official steps on a timeline

22 November 2018

How did the plenary vote?

More votes against 32 yes · 307 no · 1 abst.

Voted on: Amendment in the form of an alternative text to the Private member's bill for an Organic Law amending Organic Law 2/2012, of April 27, on Budgetary Stability and Financial Sustainability, submitted by the Ciudadanos Parliamentary Group.

This law had 3 votes; this is the latest with every deputy’s vote. See them all

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, vote 18 of sitting 161· updated 10 Nov

Each dot is a seat. Tap one, or use the arrow keys, to see who it is.

Your province

How did the deputies from your province vote?

And your senators: the Senate does not link its votes to this law in its open data, so we cannot put them side by side here.

Or see how most of each province voted

More details: how each group and each province voted

The groups

Who voted in favour and who against?

In favour, most of Ciudadanos. Against, most of Socialista, Vasco (EAJ-PNV), Mixto, Gcup-ec-em, GER and Popular en el Congreso. 1 deputy voted differently from their group.

By province: in 0 most voted in favour; in 52, against.

Coloured by how most of each province’s deputies voted.

In favour: 0
Against: 52

Result by parliamentary group
Group	Seats	How it voted
Socialista	84	84 against
Vasco (EAJ-PNV)	5	4 against · 1 did not vote
Mixto	19	15 against · 4 did not vote
Ciudadanos	32	32 in favour
Gcup-ec-em	67	65 against · 2 did not vote
GER	9	9 against
Popular en el Congreso	134	130 against · 1 abst. · 3 did not vote

What happens next

What happens now?

The legislature ended before it finished. To go on, someone would have to introduce it again in the new Cortes.

It was presented again:

XIII Legislature, Congreso de los Diputados· Unfinished Proposal to change how budget stability targets are approved
XIV Legislature, Congreso de los Diputados· Unfinished Proposal to change how budget stability targets are approved

The same initiative in the other chamber:

XII Legislature, Senate Private member's bill for an Organic Law reforming Organic Law 2/2012, of April 27, on Budgetary Stability and Financial Sustainability.

Sources

Where does all this come from?

Congreso de los Diputados, file 122/000269
Official title, type, author, dates and stage.

Retrieved 11 November 2026
Congreso de los Diputados, vote 18 of sitting 161
The count and every seat’s vote.

Retrieved 10 November 2026

The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

Read the full method · Report an error