Board of House of Representatives Holds Meeting on April 28th, 2020

The Board of the House of Representatives held its weekly meeting under the chairmanship of the House’s Speaker Habib El Malki on Tuesday, April 28^th, 2020. The meeting discussed topics relating to legislation, control, participatory democracy, the setting of the working group on legislation relative to the health sector, and the relation of the House to some constitutional institutions.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Speaker and Board members reaffirmed the importance of parliamentary action, and the efficiency of the contributions of deputies, both representing the majority and opposition, on the legislative and Government Control levels. The participants also stressed the need to pursue the exercise of their constitutional tasks as requires the national interest, and in full respect of the precautionary protective measures.

Besides, the participants reviewed the House’s last week activities, noting the constructive initiatives and meetings held by standing committees, in which the national public opinion was highly interested. The works of standing committees included legislative activities, namely the approval of two Government bills. The first one enacts special measures in favor of employers and workers registered with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), which was approved by the Social Sectors Committee, and then unanimously adopted by the House of Representatives in a plenary session. Also, the Finance and Economic Development Committee unanimously approved a Government bill enacting special provisions on the activities of executive bodies of joint-stock companies and on the convention of their shareholders’ meetings. In addition, the Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights Committee started examining two Government bills. The first one is relative to the sections of the Penal Code relative to fighting money laundering while the second is relative to arbitration and conventional mediation. As for Government control, the Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs, and Moroccan Expatriates Committee held a meeting to study the situation of Moroccans stuck abroad. The standing committees’ activities also involved meetings of their bureaus, namely the bureaus of the Productive Sectors Committee, Public Finance Control Committee, and the Internal Affairs, Communes, Housing, and Urban Policy Committee.

Additionally, the Board reviewed the agenda of the standing committees’ legislative work. Thus, it has decided to hold a plenary session on Thursday, April 30^th, to examine and vote on the finalized legislative texts.

The Board also reviewed a parliamentary bill relative to consumer protection and referred it to the Productive Sectors Committee, and a parliamentary bill on the contractual relations between landlords and leaseholders, and referred it to the Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights Committee.

Concerning Weekly Government Control, the House’s Board set its agenda to include the sector of labor and vocational integration, following the format of questions followed by discussion, under the provisions of Article 268 of the House’s Rules of Procedures.

The Board also discussed the implementation of the recommendations issued following the study day organized by the Petitions Committee at the House of Representatives. In this respect, the Board stressed the importance of preparing an operational plan that takes into consideration the implementation of the resolutions of the national dialogue and consolidates the Parliament’s outreach to people and reinforces it with a communication campaign. The operational plan should also take into consideration the legislative aspects concerning reviewing the organic laws that enact the conditions of submitting petitions to public authorities and motions on legislation.

Regarding the relation of the House of Representatives to civil society organizations, the Board stressed the importance of communication and cooperation, following a particular plan that will be prepared in collaboration with the concerned bodies, under the provisions of Article 137 of the House’s Rules of Procedure.

As for the legal framework of the health sector, the Board has decided to establish an interim thematic working group that involves one member of each parliamentary group and caucus and two members of the Board. The group’s task will be to run researches and studies in the area in order to assist the Social Sectors Committee at the House of Representatives.

About the House’s relation to constitutional institutions, the Board studied the request of some parliamentary groups concerning the opinion of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council on the economic and social repercussions of COVID-19. The Board has decided to refer the request to the Council following the provisions of Article 7 of its Organic Law and Article 337 of the House’s Rules of Procedure.

The Board also reviewed the thematic and annual reports issued by the National Human Rights Council.