Bipartisan-approved bills to automatically reach plenary

Aims to expedite livelihood bills, including ‘ban on pharmaceutical wholesalers operating telemedicine platforms’

Fast-track review mandated for bills jointly introduced by ruling and opposition lawmakers

Vice Speaker Nam delivers on campaign pledge…bill also seeks to prevent abuse of filibusters

In-soon Nam, Vice Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly

A long-standing parliamentary practice in which bills approved by both the relevant standing committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee (LJC) are delayed in the plenary session without clear justification could soon come to an end.

Legislation is being proposed to require that any bill approved by agreement between the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair and floor leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties be automatically placed on the plenary agenda if 45 days have passed since its approval by the committee.

The bill also requires standing committees to complete their review of bills jointly introduced by lawmakers from both parties within 30 days for partial amendments and within 45 days from referral for newly enacted or fully revised legislation.

In particular, the proposal would prohibit filibusters on bills approved by consensus between the committee chair and floor leaders of both parties in either the relevant standing committee or the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

On July 21, National Assembly Vice Speaker In-soon Nam of the Democratic Party announced that she had introduced the partial revision to the National Assembly Act.

The core provision would require bills that have passed both the relevant standing committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee through bipartisan agreement to be automatically referred to the plenary session after 45 days.

The proposal fulfills one of Nam's pledges to improve parliamentary procedures by preventing bipartisan bills from being indefinitely delayed before reaching the plenary session without valid justification.

If enacted, it would help prevent situations in which bipartisan bills remain stalled for over half a year despite clearing all committee stages, such as legislation prohibiting telemedicine platform operators from establishing or operating pharmaceutical wholesalers and extending dual penalties for illegal rebates to match those already applied to physicians and pharmacists.

Nam said the proposal is intended to improve the predictability of plenary schedules while ensuring the timely review of livelihood-related legislation.

A key provision of the proposed amendment is the mandatory referral of bills approved through bipartisan agreement to the plenary session. Specifically, bills approved by agreement between the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the floor leaders of each negotiating party would be required to be placed on the plenary agenda once 45 days have elapsed after committee approval.

The bill also includes measures to prevent abuse of filibusters by prohibiting them for bills passed through bipartisan agreement in either the relevant standing committee or the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, thereby preventing politically motivated delays to livelihood legislation.

Another provision creates a legislative fast-track for bills jointly introduced by lawmakers from different negotiating parties, that is, the ruling and opposition parties. Standing committees would be required to review partial amendment bills within 30 days of referral, and newly enacted or fully revised bills within 45 days.

To improve the predictability of parliamentary proceedings, the proposal would also require the Speaker to announce and publish the day's plenary agenda at least 24 hours before the session convenes whenever the agenda is finalized on the same day.

The proposed amendment is expected to serve as a strong institutional safeguard to create a more effective National Assembly and ensure that at least bills agreed upon by both parties are not derailed by political disputes and can take effect in a timely manner.

Nam said, "An amendment was long overdue, with current rules continuing to be abused, with filibusters being requested for political reasons even on bills agreed upon by both parties. The amendment is intended to prevent bipartisan bills from being delayed for extended periods in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee or the plenary session, and to avoid repeated uncertainty in parliamentary scheduling caused by political confrontation."