The Union Parliament on Wednesday approved a joint bill committee—consisting of members drawn from both parliamentary houses—to scrutinize bills before a Union-level vote.
According to Upper House Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than, Deputy Speaker Aye Thar Aung will lead the 15-member committee. The other 14 members were drawn equally from the Upper and Lower House bill committees formed last week. Members will be tasked with determining if a piece of legislation should be amended before it is brought to a vote in the Union Parliament.
The committee also includes ethnic minority lawmakers from Arakan, Chin, Kachin, Mon and Shan constituencies, as well as a military nominee, Brig-Gen Maung Maung of the Lower House.
The new Parliament, dominated by lawmakers from the National League for Democracy, opened last week. Several important standing committees have since been formed, including the Draft Bill Committee and the Public Accounts Committee in both houses.
Members of the Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission have also been selected, with former Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann chosen to head the body.
Next on the Union Parliament’s agenda is the approval of recently formed Union-level committees, expected to occur later this week.
