| Type of parliamentary body |
Multifunctional |
| Nature |
Permanent |
| Related to chambers |
Sénat
|
| Date of creation |
1958 |
| Last renewal date |
|
| Mandate |
The six standing committees, which are permanent, play an essential role. All senators, except the President of the Senate, belong to a standing committee, and to one only. The field of competence of the Committee on Constitutional Laws, Legislation, Universal Suffrage, Rules and General Administration is vast. Amongst other things, it includes: constitutional law, public liberties and electoral law; civil and penal law; the organisation of justice in local communities; commercial and company law. Proposals for new laws and draft legislation concerning human rights are examined. |
| Membership |
48 members. In order to elect the members of this Committee, the political groups produce, by mutual agreement, a list of candidates in proportion to their political representation, which is made public, and then ratified by the Senate, after each three-year renewal. The composition of each committee therefore reflects that of the Senate. As soon as they have been nominated, the standing committees elect their Chairperson, 6 Vice-Chairpersons and 4 Secretaries: these persons constitute their Bureau. |
| Working methods |
The Standing Committees primary task is the examination of draft legislation (in which case the initiative is the Prime Minister's) or of proposals for new laws (in which case the initiative is that of The Standing Committees primary task is the examination of draft legislation (in which case the initiative is the Prime Minister's) or of proposals for new laws (in which case the initiative is that of Members of Parliament) concerning matters within their field of competence. For each draft legislation or law proposal referred to it, committees appoint one of their members as Rapporteur. The Rapporteur's task is to prepare and present to the committee his or her views on the text under examination. These observations must be recorded in a written report, in preparation for the public session. The committees do not vote on laws, but it is the Rapporteur's responsibility to defend the committee's position when the Senate discusses the matter.
At meetings, the presence of more than half the number of elected members is required for a quorum, but the possibility of voting by proxy makes this requirement flexible. A senator may only vote by proxy once. Confidential minutes are taken at every committee meeting, but an analytical report of the proceedings is published in the Bulletin, which is distributed each week and posted on the Internet, in the same way as are parliamentary reports. Beyond this, a committee may decide to publicise its proceedings, in part or in full, by the means of its choice. The means most often used is the press release, and the Chairperson of the Committee decides whether or not to resort to this. Moreover some hearings are open to the press and the public. However, the examination of reports generally takes place in camera, although a decision is sometimes taken to make the proceedings public. |
| Relations with other parliamentary bodies |
In the National Assembly, the discussion of draft legislation is opened by the presentation of the text by the Prime Minister; in the case of proposals for new laws, the committees usually rewrite the text and the discussion focuses on this rewriting. The report on draft legislation usually comes with proposals for amendments, which are subject to a vote by the Senate: these may be amendments to complete the text, to eliminate a passage, or to make major changes by means of a counter-proposal. There also exist "opinions" (avis), which are different from reports as such, and are prepared by one or more committees other than that to which the matter was first referred, following their requests for a referral allowing them to give their opinion on articles falling within their competence. |
| Relations with external bodies |
The role of the committees is also to scrutinize the government's activities. Their permanence constitutes an important advantage in this respect. It allows committee members and civil servants to follow government affairs closely. Such scrutiny is a permanent activity. It requires them to collect a great deal of documentation, and stay in contact with the social institutions and public administrations concerned. In concrete terms, this scrutiny takes the form of investigations by competent rapporteurs, hearings, and the preparation of factual reports. The means of scrutiny at the disposal of the standing committees have been considerably reinforced since 1996. |
| Subjects dealt with |
Examples of topical issues include: the presumption of innocence and the rights of victims; the rights of the surviving spouse and of children born of adultery; the reinforcement of prevention and repression of movements or sects impinging human rights and fundamental liberties; the compensation to be awarded to convicts whose innocence has been recognised; the law consisting of guidelines on security and justice; the recognition of a national day commemorating the abolition of the death sentence; the recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity; the recognition of the Armenian genocide; the national day commemorating the victims of racist and anti-semitic crimes under the French State (Vichy).
Rights and freedoms of the communes of French Polynesia; video surveillance: for a new legal framework; economic development of France's overseas territories; draft legislation for the removal of nationality conditions restricting the access of foreign workers to the exercise of particular liberal or private professions; anti-terrorism measures. |
| CONTACT INFORMATION |
| Main address |
Sénat
Palais du Luxembourg
15 rue de Vaugirard
75291 PARIS Cedex 06 |
| Phone |
... |
| Fax |
... |
| E-mail |
... |
| Website |
http://www.senat.fr/commission/loi/
|
|
|
|
PRESIDING OFFICER(S)
|
| Name |
Mr. Jean-Jacques Hyest |
| Notes |
President |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
... |
| Fax |
... |
| E-mail |
jj.hyest@senat.fr |
| Website |
...
|
|
SECRETARY
|
| Name |
Mr. Laurent Béteille |
| Notes |
Secretary |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
... |
| Fax |
... |
| E-mail |
l.beteille@senat.fr |
| web site: |
...
|
| Notes |
|
| Name |
Mr. Christian Cointat |
| Notes |
Secretary |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
... |
| Fax |
... |
| E-mail |
c.cointat@senat.fr |
| web site: |
...
|
| Notes |
|
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