Senators, MPs to meet in joint session to resolve dispute on laws

AMMAN — The Senate on Thursday insisted on its amendments to the medical and health accountability and the higher council for the youth draft laws.

If any of the Houses of Parliament insists on its amendments for the second time, then, constitutionally, the senators and MPs have to meet in a joint session to resolve the disputed matter in a two-thirds vote.

Both chambers agreed to hold the session on Monday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Senate, during its Thursday session, approved amendments to the 2017 land registration fees and the 2018 state cases management, as referred from the Lower Chamber. 

Senate President Faisal Fayez referred to a meeting he held on Wednesday with Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh, in the presence of presidents of the health committees at both Houses, where they discussed disputed articles in the medical and health accountability draft law.

Fayez said that attendees reached understandings on the issues in dispute that are related to technical  matters and do not affect the essence of the law, calling on members of both Chambers to approve these understandings, prior to endorsing them in the joint session.

Senators want the draft law to include the word human in the article that bans cloning to become "human cloning", oblige service providers to document their procedures in the service recipient's file, and substitute the "unlicensed medicine" phrase with "allowed medicines".

Senators also rejected removing resuscitation devices from patients when their breath stops, and insist that these devices can be removed only when heart or brain functions stop completely according to accurate medical standards and when doctors decide that such a condition is irreversible.

Deputies' version for this article prohibited the removal of resuscitation devices unless the heart or breath stops completely or if all brain functions stop completely, according to medical standards and when doctors decide that such a condition is irreversible.

In case of medical mistakes and holding doctors accountable, senators insist on halting penalty after a court verdict is issued and conciliation is reached, while deputies' version is to halt "implementing the penalty".

As for amendments to the higher council for the youth draft law, senators insisted on their decision, which accords with a government proposal to establish a "fund for supporting the youth and sports" at the Youth Ministry to succeed the national fund for supporting the youth and sports. 

The new fund will be tasked with collecting necessary financial resources for the youth and sports and distributing them according to standards set by the fund's administrative committee that will be chaired by the minister of youth.