Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin are currently initiating a revolution that will change the face of Knesset parliamentary work.
According to details of the initiative published this morning (Sunday), the number of private bills allowed to be submitted by any Knesset member will be limited to 5 per year, a limit that does not exist today.
At the same time the Ministerial Legislation Committee will consider only 15 private members' bills per week, instead of 35-40 bills today.
The number of Knesset votes on private bills to be brought for a preliminary reading on a proposal would be limited to 250 per year instead of the 750 bills that currently come up for vote, most of which end up rejected.
In return for cutting the volume of legislation, MKs will be given additional tools in this area. For example, an MK whose bill failed in the Ministerial Legislation Committee will be allowed to personally explain the appeal to the Minister rejecting the bill.
Furthermore, an MK could ask for "prejudgment" on complex private legislation dealing with regulation, similar to the existing process for government bills, which analyzes their implications. Thus, Knesset members introducing the bill can understand the ministry's views in advance and better prepare for discussion before the Minister's Committee to improve the bill. This will be subject to the discretion of the initiating MK.
In addition, Knesset supervisory powers over the government will be expanded. The measures include expanding the authority of Knesset committees to subpoena public servants, establishing hearings before Knesset committees in a series of senior appointments, and building a mechanism for monitoring government budget implementation during the financial year.