States General

The two Houses of the States General (the Dutch Parliament) are the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Generally speaking, the two Houses meet separately. A joint session, in which the States General meets as a single chamber, is convoked only on special occasions. These include: every year on Prinsjesdag (the State Opening of Parliament); the debate on a bill for parliamentary consent to the marriage of a member of the Royal House; and the investiture of a new monarch.