Kathmandu — The Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee under the House of Representatives has endorsed a new internal working procedure that allows for recommending action against members who are absent from five consecutive committee meetings.
The provision, which continues an earlier rule with revisions, has been included in the committee’s newly adopted procedural guidelines.
Clause 4 of the new working procedure clearly outlines attendance requirements. According to it, members attending meetings must record their presence through an alphabetically arranged attendance register or an electronic attendance system. Members who are absent are required to inform the committee chair through any available means.
If a member remains absent for five consecutive meetings, they must submit a written explanation for their absence to the chair through electronic or other communication channels. The procedure states that members who miss five consecutive meetings without the chair’s approval may be recommended by the chair to the Speaker for removal from the committee.
Attendance records of members who inform the chair in advance will indicate that they were unable to attend the meeting.
Clause 3 of the procedure sets out provisions regarding meeting agendas. The agenda of committee meetings will be prepared by the committee secretary under the consultation and direction of the chair. Normally, the agenda must be provided to members at least one day in advance.
However, in the case of emergency meetings or when more than one meeting is held in a single day, the agenda may be communicated at least 30 minutes before the meeting begins.
If the date, time, and venue of the next meeting cannot be announced at the end of a session, the committee secretariat will issue the notice through written correspondence, telephone, email, SMS, or other electronic means, as well as by posting it on the notice board of the Federal Parliament Secretariat.
