House rejects Senate’s version of public transport bill

AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday insisted on rejecting the Senate’s version of the temporary public transport law, returning the legislation to the Upper House.

Deputies voted against endorsing a paragraph added by senators to the law stipulating that Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC) employees be given law enforcement authorities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The previous Senate had added the paragraph, which allows LTRC employees to seize any public transport vehicle violating licensing terms or to revoke the licence of any violating public transport vehicles. 

The previous Lower House’s services and transport committee had approved the Senate’s amendments but the Chamber was dissolved before discussing the bill.

The Senate will now either insist on its version or accept the Lower House’s decision. If the Upper House rejects the deputies’ version of the temporary law, a joint Parliament session will be held for the two Chambers to vote on it, Petra reported.

Also during Sunday’s Lower House session, MPs decided to refer the 2016 draft amendments to the National Centre for Human Rights Law to the House’s Public Freedoms Committee after deputies had a dispute over the constitutionality of one of its provisions. 

The House also endorsed the law on regulating dealings with foreign stock exchanges for 2016, which is in line with the restructuring of the public sector, entailing cancelling the council to regulate dealing with foreign stock exchanges and delegating its tasks to the Jordan Securities Commission. 

The House is scheduled to meet next on Tuesday.