Legal Definitions - legislative function

Definition: The responsibility of determining legislative policy and forming future rights and duties. This is also known as legislative power, which is the exclusive authority of a legislative body to make, amend, and repeal laws.

Examples:

• Congress, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, has the legislative power to make federal laws and change existing ones.
• A state legislature has the legislative power to create laws that apply only within its state.
• A city council has the legislative power to create local ordinances that apply only within its city limits.

These examples illustrate how legislative function or power is the authority to create laws and change existing ones. It is the responsibility of a legislative body to determine what laws are needed and how they should be implemented. This power cannot be delegated to the judicial branch, and the executive branch can only be given a portion of this power for rulemaking and regulation purposes.