Federal Council (Austria)
The Federal Council (German: Bundesrat ( ) is the second chamber of the Austrian parliament, representing the nine States of Austria (Bundesländer) on federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside of the National Council of Austria (Nationalrat), it can be compared with an upper house or a senate. In fact, however, it is far less powerful than the National Council: although it has to approve every new law decided for by this "lower" chamber, the latter can - in most cases - overrule the Bundesrat´s refusal to approve. The Bundesrat has its seat at the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna, in a conclave of the former Herrenhaus chamber of the Imperial Council (Reichsrat).
Read more about Federal Council (Austria): Composition, Role
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