Egypt's Lawmaking Process: From Bill To Law

Egypt's House of Representatives has passed numerous pieces of legislation since it first convened in January 2016, impacting the political, economic, and social lives of Egyptians. However, the process by which these laws are conceived, deliberated, and approved can be challenging to navigate. This is a brief overview of the journey from bill to law in Egypt.

Who can propose a bill?

In Egypt, a bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. Bills are also referred to as primary legislation. They are typically submitted by the government or a member of parliament (MP). If a parliamentarian has a proposal for a bill, they must submit it to Parliament for discussion. For a bill to be introduced to Parliament, 60 MPs need to sign it. If fewer than 10 members propose the bill, it is referred to the Complaints and Proposals Committee, which will prepare a report on it. If approved, it is then passed to the specialised committee.

Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. If the bill passes, it is then sent to a specialised committee in Parliament, based on the field that the bill tackles. If the bill covers multiple fields, it is sent to a joint committee.

The specialised committee will discuss each article in the bill and introduce it to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to consider and coordinate its articles. The specialised committee will then present a report about the bill to a full chamber of Parliament, where it will be discussed in a plenary session.

What happens when a bill is introduced?

In Egypt, a bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a member of the government or any member of parliament. If a proposal for a bill exists, it must be submitted to Parliament for discussion. Once submitted, the bill is introduced to a plenary session to be considered and voted on. If the bill is approved, it is sent to a specialised committee, or a joint committee if it covers more than one field, to be discussed and amended as required. If the bill is rejected, Parliament must provide a report detailing why. A rejected bill cannot be reintroduced in the same legislative session.

If the specialised committee approves the bill, each article within it is discussed and the bill is then introduced to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to consider and coordinate its articles. The specialised committee then presents a report about the bill to a full chamber of Parliament, where it is discussed in a plenary session.

For a bill to be introduced to Parliament, 60 MPs must sign it. If fewer than 10 members propose the bill, Parliament refers it to the Complaints and Proposals Committee, not the specialised committee, to prepare a report on it. If it is approved, it is passed to the specialised committee. The plenary session agrees to it and refers it to the State Council to revise it, after which it is sent back to Parliament.

What is a plenary session?

A plenary session, or plenum, is a gathering of all members of a conference or deliberative assembly. The term comes from the Latin word 'plenus', meaning 'gathered'. In the context of Egypt's legislative process, a plenary session is a meeting of the House of Representatives, during which bills are considered and voted on.

Plenary sessions can include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and are not necessarily tied to a specific style of presentation or deliberation. They are often used in academic settings, such as conferences, to summarise information and encourage class participation or networking.

In the case of Egypt's House of Representatives, a bill is introduced to the parliament by the government or any member of parliament. It is then referred to a plenary session to be considered and voted on. If approved, the bill is sent to a specialised committee or a joint committee, depending on the number of fields it tackles. The committee discusses and amends the bill as required. If the specialised committee approves, each article of the bill is discussed, and it is introduced to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to consider and coordinate its articles. The specialised committee then presents a report on the bill to a full chamber of parliament, where it is discussed again in a plenary session.

The plenary session agrees on the bill and refers it to the State Council for revision. Once the revisions are complete, the bill is sent back to parliament for a final vote. If approved, the bill becomes a law.

What happens if a bill is rejected?

If a bill is rejected by the Egyptian parliament, or House of Representatives, it must provide a report explaining the reasons for its rejection. A rejected bill cannot be reintroduced in the same legislative session. If less than 10 members proposed the bill, it is referred to the Complaints and Proposals Committee, which will prepare a report on it. If this report is approved, the bill is passed to a specialised committee.

What happens when a bill is approved?

Once a bill is approved by the House of Representatives, it is sent to the President of the Republic. The President has 15 days to sign the bill into law. If the President does not sign the bill within this timeframe, or if they veto it, it is sent back to the House of Representatives. If the House of Representatives overrides the veto by a two-thirds majority vote, the bill becomes law. If the House fails to override the veto, four months must pass before the bill can be reintroduced in the same legislative session.

If the President approves the bill, it is signed into law and enforced by the government. The process by which bills become laws in Egypt is outlined in Articles 158 to 180 of the House of Representatives' bylaws.

In Egypt, bills are referred to as primary legislation. They are proposals for a new law or a change to an existing law, summarising the reasoning behind the proposal and the proposed law itself. Bills can be introduced by the government or any member of parliament. Once introduced, they are discussed and voted on in a plenary session. If approved, they are sent to a specialised committee or, in the case of a bill that tackles multiple fields, a joint committee. Here, the bill is discussed and amended as required. If a bill is rejected by the chamber, it must not be reintroduced in the same legislative session, and a report must be provided explaining the reasons for the rejection.

If a bill is approved by the specialised committee, each article within it is discussed, and it is introduced to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to consider and coordinate its articles. A report is then presented to a full chamber of the parliament to be discussed in the plenary session. Once the bill is approved by the parliament after voting on it, it becomes a law.

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