Federal act

A federal act is a principal form of legislation at the Swiss federal level. It is adopted by the Federal Assembly and used for important, generally applicable rules that require a statutory basis, such as rights and duties, organisation, procedures, or financing. Federal acts are subject to the constitutional distribution of powers and, in many cases, to an optional referendum. They differ from ordinances, which normally implement legislation in more detail, and from constitutional provisions, which stand at a higher normative level.