Działalność ustawodawcza wolnych sejmów w czasach Rady Nieustającej (1778–1786)

The author discusses the legal framework of the legislative activity of ‘free’ (that is, not confederated) Sejms. He discusses parliamentary practice between 1778 and 1786 after a thorough analysis of the king’s legislative initiative with special emphasis on proposals submitted by the throne, and the role played by the Permanent Council in drafting laws. The author argues that numerous bills drafted by envoys had little impact on the results of Sejms because after the election and control of the executive authorities ended, there was no time to examine the drafts. Sejm decisions could be divided into two categories: a) decisions made before the separation of two chambers – concerning elections (of executive and judiciary authorities) and vote of acceptance for the Permanent Council; and b) legislative decisions made during further proceedings, with a special subcategory in the form of provisions related to the control over executive powers. The author also provides a quantitative analysis of legislative output between 1778 and 1786.