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(3) if there is an amendment, the amended bill shall be returned to the
House of Representatives. If the House of Representatives approves such amendment,
further proceedings under section 81 shall be taken. In other cases, each House shall
appoint persons, being or not being its members, in such an equal number as may be fixed
by the House of Representatives, to constitute a joint committee for considering the bill,
and the joint committee shall prepare a report thereon and submit that bill which it has
already considered to both Houses. If both Houses approve the bill already considered by
the joint committee, further proceedings under section 81 shall be taken. If either House
disapproves it, whether or not the other House has considered it, the bill shall be withheld.
At a meeting of the joint committee, the presence of the Members of the
joint committee appointed by both Houses of not less than one-half of the total number of
its members is required to constitute a quorum, and the provisions of section 157 shall
apply mutatis mutandis.
If the Senate does not return the bill to the House of Representatives within
the period under section 136, it shall be deemed that the Senate approves such bill and
further proceedings under section 81 shall be taken.
Section 138. A bill withheld under section 137 may be reconsidered by the
House of Representatives only after the lapse of one hundred and eighty days as from the
following dates:
(1) the date the bill is returned to the House of Representatives by the
Senate in case of withholding under section 137 (2);
(2) the date either House disapproves the bill in case of withholding under
section 137 (3).
In cases under paragraph one, if the House of Representatives resolves to
reaffirm the bill considered by the House of Representatives or the bill considered by the
joint committee by the votes of more than one-half of the total number of the existing
Members of the House of Representatives, such bill shall be deemed to have been
approved by the National Assembly and further proceedings under section 81 shall be
taken.
Subject to section 143 paragraph four, if the bill withheld is a money bill,
the period of one hundred and eighty days under paragraph one shall be decreased to
ten days.
Section 139. While a bill is being withheld under section 137, the Council of
Ministers or Members of the House of Representatives may not introduce a bill having the
same or similar principle as that of the bill so withheld.