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MK Elazar Stern

Bills, bills, bills

Analysis: As the exorbitant number of privately proposed bills continues to pile up, it has become clear that while Israel’s legislative body may be big on billing, it doesn’t bother showing the receipts.

There are 152 caucuses currently operating in the Knesset, which seek to promote a variety of causes. Recently, several MKS came to the conclusion that there was a need to add another one, intended to focus on the Knesset itself.

 

 

The new caucus was the brainchild of MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid), who approached several leading legislators including MK Orly Levy-Abekasis (formerly Yisrael Beytenu, now independent), Avraham Neguise (Likud), David Bitan (Likud), Eitan Cabel (Zionist Union), and Yitzhak Vaknin (Shas) to take a close look at the shortcomings of the current seat, streamline the Knesset’s manner of operation and reinstate its prestige in the public eye.

The Knesset plenum (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)
The Knesset plenum (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

 

During this week’s meeting, the MKs were surprised to hear that the current 20th Knesset has already had over 3,100 private bills submitted. This compared to 2,910 bills submitted throughout the 19th Knesset (from January 2013 to March 2015), 4,499 bills submitted during the 18th Knesset (February 2009 to January 2013) and a far cry from the 9th Knesset (May 1977 to June 1981), which only saw 231 bills.

 

Compared to other countries, Israel is found to be a world record holder of private bills, with 12,725 submitted between 1999–2009, while Finland, arriving in second place, had only submitted 1,625 bills during that same period.

 

“MKs are finding themselves at a dead end,” said President of the Israel Democracy Institute and former Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner. “Their increasing use of private legislation as a PR tool comes at the expense of their obligation to performing governmental duties. MKs must improve the way the Knesset operates by limiting the amount of private legislation by having it reflect the global average.”

 

MK Elazar Stern (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
MK Elazar Stern (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

 

At present, there are no limitations on the number of private bills an MK can submit, excluding bills that are considered racist or that do not acknowledge Israel as the home of the Jewish people.

 

Other parliaments around the world have found ways to successfully curtail their bill-happy elected officials. Austria and Belgium, for example, require that at least five members of parliament support a bill for it to be submitted, while Germany demands no less than 30. Finland takes a more frugal approach, stipulating that any bill requiring an additional budget must detail how the proposed expenses could be covered.

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.15.16, 14:53
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