Nat'l Assembly passes bill to speed up review of fast-track bills

On Thursday, the National Assembly voted in favor of a bill designed to expedite the review of fast-track bills, reducing the maximum deliberation period from 330 days to a maximum of 90 days, reported a news outlet. The amendment to the National Assembly Act passed with a 153-81 vote during a plenary session, despite opposition from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who contended that the ruling party was hastily pushing the bill through without adequate discussion.

The proposed revision stipulates that fast-track bills would undergo a 60-day review by a standing committee, followed by a 30-day review by the legislation and judiciary committee. The bill was originally presented to a plenary session last month, but a prolonged filibuster by the PPP delayed a vote until the end of the July extraordinary parliamentary session.

Currently, fast-track bills can take up to 330 days to reach a plenary vote, including up to 180 days in a standing committee and an additional 90 days in the legislation and judiciary committee.