KB News Desk
A subcommittee of the National Assembly House Steering Committee on Tuesday passed a bill aimed at significantly shortening the deliberation period for bills designated for fast-track from a maximum of 330 days to around 90 days.
The proposed revision to the National Assembly Act was endorsed by ruling and minor party members on the panel, while members of the main opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote.
“We decided that it was necessary to process the bill in line with the purpose and name of the (fast-track) system,” Rep. Cheon Jun-ho of the ruling Democratic Party told reporters after the vote.
Under the current National Assembly Act, a measure designated as a fast-track bill can take up to 330 days to be put to a plenary vote, including up to 180 days in a standing committee and another 90 days in the legislation and judiciary committee.
If the committee fails to do this, the bill is automatically put to a vote in a plenary session within 60 days.
The revision would shorten the review period to 90 days, including 60 days in a standing committee and 30 days in the legislation and judiciary committee.
It would also require a fast-tracked bill that clears the legislation and judiciary committee to be tabled at the first parliamentary plenary session held after approval by the committee.
A bill can be designated as a fast-track proposal with the approval of at least three-fifths of lawmakers, allowing it to pass even without bipartisan agreement to prevent it from remaining pending in parliament for too long. (Yonhap)
