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What it is

Proposal to further limit what a caretaker government can do

Admitted step 2 of 7 · Unfinished

It is a members’ bill. Introduced by parliamentary groups, the Senate, regional governments or citizens. It was introduced on 28 August 2019. Introduced by: Grupo Parlamentario Ciudadanos.

Official title: Private member's bill amending Law 50/1997, of November 27, on the Government, for the development of the powers and obligations of the caretaker Government.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 122/000040· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. The bill states that a caretaker government may only handle ordinary public business and could not approve the State Budget or send bills to the Congress of Deputies or the Senate.
  2. The president of a caretaker government could not propose that the King dissolve the Chambers, raise a vote of confidence, or call an advisory referendum.
  3. Those limits would not apply to duties under the Budget Stability Law, including approving the spending ceiling, nor to advance payments to the Autonomous Communities under their financing system.
  4. The bill confirms that all acts of the government, including a caretaker one, are subject to political control by the Cortes Generales, and legislative delegations would be suspended while a caretaker government remains in office after elections.

Who it affects

  • A caretaker government (Gobierno en funciones): Its powers would be limited: it could not approve budgets, send bills, or propose dissolutions or referendums.
  • The president of the caretaker government: Could not raise a vote of confidence or propose dissolving the Chambers or calling a referendum.
  • The Cortes Generales (Spanish Parliament): Keeps political control over all government acts, even when the government is a caretaker one.
  • The Autonomous Communities: Would keep receiving advance payments under their financing system and would know the spending ceiling to draft their budgets.

Words worth knowing

Gobierno en funciones (caretaker government)
A government that has stepped down, for example after an election, and keeps handling basic matters until a new one takes office.
Techo de gasto (spending ceiling)
The maximum limit on the State's non-financial spending, set before the budget is drafted.
Cuestión de confianza (vote of confidence)
A request the prime minister makes to the Congress to check whether he still has its support.
Delegación legislativa (legislative delegation)
Authorization from the Cortes for the government to make rules with the force of law on certain matters.

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 2 of 7 steps. It reached Admitted, and today it is unfinished.

  1. Introduced28 August 2019Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted4 September 2019The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendmentsnot reachedGroups propose changes.
  4. Committeenot reachedA committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenarynot reachedAll 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senatenot reachedThe Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOEnot reachedIt is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 5 official steps on a timeline
Aug 2019Sept 2019Sept 2019Sept 201911. 28 August 2019: Presentación22. 4 September 2019: Boletín Oficial de las Cortes Generales Publicación desde 04/09/2019 hasta 06/09/201933. 4 September 2019: Calificación44. 6 September 2019: Gobierno Contestación desde 06/09/2019 hasta 24/09/201955. 24 September 2019: Concluido - (Caducado) desde 24/09/2019 hasta 23/10/2019

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

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 has not been presented again yet.

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • 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.

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