House goes on two-week break as govt runs out of bills

KATHMANDU, July 16: The meetings of both the House of Representatives (HoR) and the National Assembly have been postponed for two weeks due to a lack of government business. The next meetings of the two houses have been scheduled for July 30 and 31, with the HoR meeting on July 30 and the National Assembly on July 31.

After completing the process of passing bills, sending them to committees and discussing amendments, Parliament has been unable to move forward due to the absence of new bills from the government.

Normally, both houses begin deliberations on various bills after completing budget-related work. However, as the government has not introduced new bills, both the HoR and the National Assembly currently lack sufficient business.

Although the government had assured Parliament that it would bring new bills, no significant bills have been tabled so far. HoR Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal said Parliament had decided to take a two-week break to engage with the people.

"The Parliament has said that it represents the people, and it has postponed the meetings for two weeks to meet the people," Aryal said.

The meeting is currently discussing the bill to amend and repeal Some Nepal Acts. The bill to reinstate the existing provisions of the Nepal Special Service Act, 1985 and the National Service Corps Bill, 2026 have been sent to the concerned committees for clause-by-clause discussions.

Earlier, the Nepal Rastra Bank (Third Amendment Bill), 2026, and the Tourism Bill, received from the National Assembly along with a message, had already been forwarded to the committees.

The meeting also approved the ratification of two conventions and a protocol of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Despite the government's commitment to provide sufficient business to Parliament, only seven bills, including the Finance Bill, have so far been introduced. The remaining bills were ordinance replacement bills.

"As bills take a long time to be passed once they reach parliamentary committees, the House will remain without business until new bills are introduced," a Parliament official said.

Between May 11 and July 10, both houses passed a total of 10 laws, including three budget-related laws, four ordinance replacement bills and three regular bills. These included laws related to budget allocation, finance, public debt management, alternative development finance mobilization, election of members of the House of Representatives and amendments related to electoral rolls.

Similarly, ordinance replacement bills related to public procurement, anti-money laundering, cooperatives and health science institutes have also been enacted into law.

Although the government has not been able to immediately introduce new bills, it is preparing 166 bills for Parliament. The annual legislative work schedule, prepared in consultation with the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs on July 8 and 9, was presented to Parliament on Wednesday.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam submitted the schedule and list of bills to the HoR Speaker and the National Assembly Chair.

Gautam herself has been actively involved in implementing the legal reform plan. She held meetings with HoR Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal and National Assembly Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal and submitted the list of proposed bills. She also responded to queries raised by lawmakers in the HoR and provided official information.

Gautam said the Law Ministry has declared fiscal year 2026/27 as the "Law Reform and Creation Year."

Under the Legislation Act, 2025, the Ministry of Law determines the priority of proposed bills and prepares a legislative schedule accordingly. National Assembly Chairperson Dahal said Parliament would not delay the lawmaking process if the government provided sufficient business, stressing that Parliament requires bills to function effectively.

The government appears to be taking steps to ensure a smooth legal framework, enact laws necessary for the full implementation of the Constitution, and prevent Parliament from remaining without business.

The proposed 166 bills include 97 new bills and 69 amendments to existing laws. They have been categorized into three priority levels: 64 bills under the first priority category, 45 under the second and 57 under the third.

The Law Ministry said the government plans to revise, amend, repeal, codify and consolidate existing laws, along with reviewing current legal provisions. It is also prepared to form a high-level law reform committee if necessary.