legislation

noun

leg·is·la·tion | \ ˌle-jə-ˈslā-shən

Definition of legislation

1 : the action of legislating specifically : the exercise of the power and function of making rules (such as laws) that have the force of authority by virtue of their promulgation by an official organ of a state or other organization the major function of Congress is legislation — W. S. Sayre

2 : the enactments of a legislator or a legislative body legislation to help distressed homeowners

3 : a matter of business for or under consideration by a legislative body She proposed new legislation to protect the environment.

Examples of legislation in a Sentence

They passed new state legislation this week. Two new pieces of legislation are being considered. She introduced legislation for protecting the environment. More legislation is needed on this matter. Certain animals are protected under state legislation. One of the important functions of government is legislation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Last week, Cummings and other prominent liberals introduced legislation that would tie U.S. prices to what consumers pay in other economically advanced countries, where governments regulate prices. — Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, The Seattle Times, "House Dems announce sweeping investigation of drug pricing," 14 Jan. 2019 Brinton spearheaded the campaign '50 Bills 50 States,' which works with thousands of local grassroots activists to introduce legislation to ban conversion therapy across the country. — Megan Lasher, Seventeen, "What Is Conversion Therapy?," 20 Nov. 2018 Last month, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation that would tax businesses for the cost of employees' food stamps and other assistance programs. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Amazon institutes $15 minimum wage for all US employees, including temps," 2 Oct. 2018 Democrats in Congress are introducing legislation to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. — William Cummings, USA TODAY, "House Democrats introduce bill to abolish ICE, create 'humane' immigration system," 12 July 2018 While the industry might have opposed the legislation at the forefront, by this point the MATS equipment is in place. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "EPA Wants To Hollow Out Regulations That Safeguard Against Mercury Poisoning," 28 Dec. 2018 But while civil rights groups welcomed the new legislation, police departments and unions have been far less receptive, arguing that the measure will expose information that needs to remain private. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "A California city plans to shred years of police records before a new law makes them public," 27 Dec. 2018 The House and the Senate both need to officially vote on the new legislation, which is expected before the end of the year. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "Growing hemp is about to be legal for the first time in nearly a century," 30 Nov. 2018 The 1970 legislation, which established federal matching funds for mass transit projects, offered 2 federal dollars for every 1 local dollar. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Public transit’s missed opportunity," 20 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legislation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

11 Feb 2019

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The first known use of legislation was in 1606

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More Definitions for legislation

legislation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of legislation

: a law or set of laws made by a government

: the action or process of making laws

See the full definition for legislation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

legislation

noun

leg·is·la·tion | \ ˌle-jə-ˈslā-shən

Kids Definition of legislation

1 : the action of making laws

2 : the laws that are made Congress passed new legislation protecting the environment.

legislation

noun

leg·is·la·tion | \ ˌle-jəs-ˈlā-shən

Legal Definition of legislation

1 : the making or giving of laws specifically : the exercise of the power and function of making rules that have the force of authority by virtue of their promulgation by an official organ of the state

2 : the enactments of a legislator or legislative body

3 : a matter of business for or under consideration by a legislative body recently proposed legislation