Created by the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Federal Assembly is the Russian Federation’s bicameral legislative body and is divided between a lower house, the State Duma, and an upper house, the Federation Council. It was preceded by the Congress of People’s Deputies of the Russian Federation. All bills must first be passed by the lower house, and then approved—without changes—by the upper house.
Historical Dictionary of the Russian Federation. Robert A. Saunders and Vlad Strukov. 2010.