The Knesset passed a first reading of an interesting legislative proposal to limit expensive private legislation. The bill states that bills proposed by private MKs that cost 5 million shekels or more and that are not covered by existing budgetary clauses may be legislated into law only if either the government or 50 MKs backs them. The proposal will now be reviewed and voted on in the Knesset Law Committee. Sponsored by the Finance Ministry, it is designed to do away with \"troublesome\" private bills, such as the Negev laws, that are designed to help only one specific sector of the population.