ART. 25. If a senator should die or for any reason cease to be a member of the house before the last year of his term, the vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the term by a new election, in the manner and time provided by law.

A senator who loses his seat by performing or accepting an incompatible employment shall not be re-eligible before the next triennial election.

ART. 26. The qualifications of a senator shall be:

1) Exercise of the rights of citizenship.

2) Attainment of the age of thirty-six years.

3) Never to have been condemned for a crime.

4) An annual income of at least two thousand pesos. The provisions of Art. 21 regarding deputies shall also be applicable to senators.

POWERS OF CONGRESS AND SPECIAL POWERS OF EACH HOUSE

ART. 27. The following shall be exclusive powers of Congress:

1) The approval or disapproval of the accounts which the government shall annually present of the application of funds appropriated for the expenses of public administration.

2) The approval or disapproval of a declaration of war, upon the proposal of the President of the Republic.

3) The determination, upon the resignation of the President of the Republic from his office, as to whether the reasons given by him for this action are or are not such as to make it impossible for him to continue in office, and in consequence thereof, the acceptance or refusal of the resignation.

4) The determination, when doubt arises in the cases specified by Arts. 65 and 69, as to whether the disability which prevents the President from performing his functions is of such a character as to make necessary the holding of a new election.

5) The counting of the votes and the verification of the

election of the President of the Republic, in conformity with Arts. 58 to 64.

6) The enactment of exceptional laws, to continue in force not longer than one year, restricting personal liberty and the liberty of printing and suspending or restricting the exercise of the liberty of assembly, whenever demanded by imperious necessity for the defense of the state, or for the preservation of the constitutional system or of internal peace.

If such laws impose penalties, they shall always be applied by the established courts.

Except in the cases provided by this clause, no laws shall be passed suspending or restricting the liberties or rights guaranteed by Art. 10.

ART. 28. A law shall be required:

1) To impose taxes of any kind; to abolish existing taxes; and to provide in case of necessity for the apportionment of taxes among the provinces or departments.

2) To determine annually the appropriations for the public administration.

3) To determine, also, each year, the strength of the land and naval forces to be maintained in time of peace or of war. Taxes shall only be voted for a period of eighteen months; and the land and naval forces shall not be fixed for a longer period.

4) To contract debts; to ratify debts already contracted; and to set aside funds for their liquidation.

5) To erect new provinces or departments; to fix their boundaries; to establish ports for foreign commerce; and to establish custom-houses.

6) To fix the weight, fineness, value, form, and denomination of coins; and to regulate the system of weights and

measures.

7) To permit the introduction of foreign troops into the territory of the Republic, and to determine the time of their stay therein.

8) To permit troops to be quartered permanently in the place where the sessions of Congress are held, or within ten leagues of such place.

9) To permit the departure of national troops from the territory of the Republic; and to fix the time of their return.

10) To create or abolish public offices; to define or modify their duties, to increase or diminish their salaries; to grant pensions, and to decree public honors for important services. 11) To grant general pardons or amnesty.

12) To fix the place of residence of the national authorities and of the sessions of Congress.

ART. 29. The following shall be exclusive powers of the House of Deputies:

1) To judge the elections of its members; to pass upon charges of nullity of such elections; to accept resignations of members if based upon physical or moral reasons of such a character as to make it impossible for them to perform their duties. To determine upon such reasons three-fourths of the deputies present must concur.

2) To bring impeachments before the Senate whenever it shall seem proper to enforce the responsibility of the following officers:

The ministers of state and councilors of state, in the manner and for the offenses specified in Arts. 83 to 88 and 98;

Generals of the army and navy, for having seriously compromised the security and honor of the nation, in the same manner as that provided for ministers of state and councilors of state;

Members of the Executive Committee for serious omission in the discharge of the duties imposed by part 2 of Art. 49;

Intendants of the provinces, for the crimes of treason, sedition, violation of the constitution, misappropriation of public funds, or extortion;

Members of the superior courts of justice, for grave dereliction of duty.

In the three last cases the House of Deputies shall first decide whether or not to consider the proposal of impeachment, and then after an interval of six days, whether the accusation is in order, first hearing the report of a committee of five persons chosen by lot from its own body. If the decision is in the affirmative, two deputies shall be named to formulate the charge and to conduct the case before the Senate.

ART. 30. The following shall be powers of the Senate:

1) To judge the elections of its members; to pass upon charges of nullity of such elections; to accept resignations of its members if based upon reasons which render it physically or morally impossible for them to discharge their duties. To pass upon such reasons there must be a concurrence of threefourths of the senators present.

2) To try officers impeached by the House of Deputies, in accordance with Arts. 29 and 89.

3) To approve the nominations made by the President of the Republic to archbishoprics and bishoprics.

4) To give or refuse its consent to governmental acts in all cases required by the constitution.

THE ENACTMENT OF LAWS

ART. 31. Laws may be initiated in the Senate or in the House of Deputies upon the motion of any member, or by message from the President of the Republic. Laws concerning taxes of any kind and concerning the recruiting of troops shall originate only in the House of Deputies. Laws concerning amnesty shall originate only in the Senate.

ART. 32. Upon the approval of a bill in the house where it originated, it shall be submitted immediately to the other house for debate and approval within the period of the same session.

ART. 33. A bill rejected in the house where it originated

shall not again be proposed in that house until the session of

the following year.

ART. 34.

Upon the approval of a bill by both houses, it shall be sent to the President of the Republic, who, if he also approves it, shall order its promulgation as law.

ART. 35. If the President of the Republic disapproves a bill, he shall return it to the house in which it originated with such observations as he may think proper, within a period of one fortnight.

ART. 36. If the two houses agree with the objections made by the President of the Republic, the amended bill shall have the force of law and shall be returned to the President for promulgation.

If the two houses do not agree with the objections of the President of the Republic and insist upon their measure by a vote of two-thirds of the members present, such bill shall have the force of law and shall be returned to the President for promulgation.

Such objections shall not be voted upon in either house unless a majority of all its members is present.3

ART. 40. If the President of the Republic should not return the bill within one fortnight after its presentation to him, it shall be considered approved and shall be promulgated as law. If the sessions of the houses should have closed before the expiration of the fortnight within which the bill may have been returned, the President of the Republic shall return it during the first six days of the regular session of the following year.

ART. 41. A bill passed by one house and wholly rejected. by the other shall be returned to the house where it originated, and shall there be considered anew, and if passed by a majority of two-thirds of the members present, it shall be sent again

Arts. 37-39 were repealed by amendment of June 26, 1893. Before this amendment a bill vetoed by the President could not again be considered during the same year, and the President also had the power to propose definite amendments to any bill.