Committee News
The work of parliamentary committees is vital to the way our democracy functions. They scrutinise legislation and government actions, hold public hearings, and conduct other important activities to support the legislative and oversight roles of Parliament.
When the committee has finished its deliberations, it votes on what action to take. The committee can report the measure without amendment, or with a set of amendments, or table the bill and leave it for further consideration by the House. If the committee reports the measure, the committee’s written report will explain the measure’s purpose and scope. It will also state the committee’s recommended approval or disapproval of the bill. The report will be assigned a number indicating the Congress (currently 107). You can find more information on bills and resolutions considered by committee in How Our Laws Are Made.
Normally, the government will make a response to a select committee’s report, either publishing it itself (as a Command Paper) or sending a memorandum to the committee which can be published as a special report (simply saying, in effect, ‘we have received the following reply…”). If the committee wishes, it can publish the government response and add further comments or evidence.
In a historic first, Parliament’s Health and Maori Affairs committees jointly held a public inquiry into the impact of tobacco on New Zealand. In other committee news, the Environment Committee opened an inquiry into the nature and impact of cryptocurrencies; the Education and Workforce Committee called for submissions on the Holidays Act (Parent-Teacher Interview Leave) Amendment Bill; and the Regulations Review Committee investigated who can access data on the National Cervical Screening Programme and examined the scope of rules governing the welfare of laying hens.
A political battle over the top Democratic spots on key congressional committees erupted as the 2022 Congress began. Veteran lawmakers like Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn faced challenges from younger members eager to lead the panel’s investigations into Republican efforts to undermine Obamacare and curb executive power. Ultimately, the party’s senior leaders settled the fight by naming longtime members to the positions.