Senate endorses five draft laws

AMMAN — The Senate on Monday endorsed five draft laws as referred from the Lower House.

During a session, headed by Senate President Faisal Fayez and attended by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz and Cabinet members, the Upper House approved the cyber security bill with a recommendation for the national council of cyber security to include a member of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.

The 2019 cyber security law organises procedures of protecting systems, networks and programmes from threats facing IT systems and infrastructure, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The draft law defines “cyber security” as the procedures taken to protect IT systems, networks and critical infrastructure against cyber security incidents, and the ability for these structures to continue operating, whether the reason of the threat was due to lack of authority, misuse, failure to follow security procedure or deception. 

The bill defines critical infrastructure as the set of systems, e-networks, tangible and intangible assets, cyber assets and systems whose continuous operation is considered a necessity to guarantee the security of state, economy and society.

During the Monday session, senators also approved MPs’ decisions regarding the bill on restructuring public institutions and departments, abolishing the handicrafts and industries law, and agreed with the Lower House’s amendments to the bills on the Jordanian universities and higher education and scientific research. 

As for the higher education and scientific research draft law, the Senate members recommended developing programmes to support financing university students with loans and grants through a special bylaw to be issued for this purpose.