Parliament endorses amendments to three temporary laws

By Raed Omari

AMMAN – Both Houses of Parliament on Thursday endorsed amendments to three temporary laws in a joint session presided over by Senate President Taher Masri and attended by Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit.

During yesterday’s session, lawmakers endorsed amendments to the Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTC) and civil status and telecommunications laws that were referred twice to the Senate by the 14th Parliament in 2004.

In line with the Constitution, the two Houses of Parliament are required to convene if either rejects draft laws twice and the other approves them.

According to Article 92 of the Constitution: “Should either House twice reject any draft law and the other accept it, whether or not amended, both the Senate and the Chamber shall hold a joint meeting under the chairmanship of the speaker of the Senate to discuss the matters in dispute. Acceptance of the draft law shall be conditional upon the passing of a resolution by a two-thirds majority of the members of both Houses present. If the draft law is rejected as described above, it shall not be placed again before the House during the same session.”

Members of both Houses endorsed amendments to the JRTC law, which stipulate that the chairman is appointed by the Council of Ministers and endorsed by a Royal Decree, rejecting amendments to the law made by the 14th Parliament stating that the chairman of JRTC board should be the president of the now-defunct higher media council.

Also during yesterday’s session, the two Houses approved amendments made by the Senate to the Civil Status Law, rejecting a proposal by the14th Parliament to scrap the legislation.

In addition, they endorsed amendments to the Telecommunications Law as referred by the Chamber of Deputies.

The three laws were endorsed ahead of the conclusion of the Parliament’s ordinary session on March 28.

Deputy Abdul Karim Dughmi (Mafraq, 1st District), head of the Lower House Legal Committee, told The Jordan Times that some of the 45 temporary laws passed by the previous government will be discussed and hopefully endorsed during the remainder of the ordinary session.

He added that the Lower House will send an official letter to the government requesting an extraordinary session, during which other temporary laws will be discussed.

According to the Constitution, the King may, whenever necessary, summon the National Assembly to meet in an extraordinary session for an unspecified period at the request of an absolute majority of deputies.

“The petition is a routine move through which deputies practise their constitutional right to discuss pressing issues,” Dughmi said.

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