Aspen Bundesrad

The Bundesrad participates in legislation, alongside the Riksdag, the directly elected representation of the people of Aspen, with laws affecting provincial competencies and all constitutional changes requiring the consent of the body. For its similar function, it is sometimes described as an upper house of parliament along the lines of the United States Senate, the Canadian Senate, or the British House of Lords.

A similar body, the Federal Council, had been the upper house of the Aspen Empire until it was reformed to become the Aspen Senate.

The political makeup of the Bundesrad is affected by changes in power in the provinces of Aspen, and thus by-elections in each state. Each provincial delegation in the Bundesrad is essentially a representation of the provincial government and reflects the political makeup of the ruling majority or plurality of each state legislature (including coalitions). Thus, the Bundesrad is a continuous body and has no legislative periods. For organizational reasons, the Bundesrad structures its legislative calendar in years of business. Each year of business is congruous with the one-year term of the presidium.