AMMAN -- The Lower House on Wednesday referred four draft laws to its permanent committees, while the government withdrew two other pieces of legislation from Parliament ahead of yesterday's session.
During yesterday's session, a majority of lawmakers voted in favour of referring the 2011 multi-modal transportation and Jordanian flags draft laws to the Public Services, Tourism and Antiquities Committee and the National Guidance Committee, respectively.
MPs also voted to refer the 2011 Treaty of Mutual Assistance on Criminal Matters and the prisoner exchange agreements signed between Jordan and France to the Legal Committee.
The government withdrew the 2011 draft law governing the National Emergency Commission and a draft law amending the Universities Law.
Commenting on the government's decision to withdraw the draft legislation, several deputies, including Zarqa MP Bassam Haddadin, argued that while the Constitution allows the government to withdraw any draft law from the House if it has not yet been referred to the relevant committee, it should at least explain its rationale for doing so.
House Speaker Abdul Karim Dughmi, however, indicated that the Constitution does not require the government to explain its reasons for withdrawing legislation.
However, some deputies told reporters that the government may scrap the National Emergency Commission draft law as part of its efforts to reduce the number of independent public institutions.
Due to time limitations, the House was unable to elect members to all 14 of its permanent committees yesterday, electing only members of the Legal Committee.
Ahead of the vote, several MPs called on the 22 deputies who registered to vie for seats on the 11-member committee to drop their candidacies if they did not have enough legal and political experience.
Deputy Mazen Qadi (Northern Badia) indicated that the House is scheduled to look into a "huge" set of laws, most of which are related to the reform process, that require "exceptional" legal and political experience on the part of deputies sitting on key committees.
Some deputies opted not to run in response to Qadi's proposal.
Following yesterday's vote, the new members of the Legal Committee are Deputies Mahmoud Kharabsheh (Balqaa, 1st District), Wasfi Sarhan and Habes Shbeeb (Northern Badia), Mohammad Hjouj and Ali Khalayleh (Zarqa), Awwad Zawaydeh (Southern Badia), Saleh Lozi (Amman, 5th District), Amal Rfouh and Mohammad Shroush (Tafileh), Yahia Saud (Amman, 2nd District) and Mefleh Khazaaleh (Mafraq, 1st District).
The other permanent committees are expected to be chosen next Sunday, after which they will begin discussion of the referred draft laws.
© Jordan Times 2011
