KATHMANDU, Sept 15: The federal parliament is increasingly facing a familiar problem: bills are being introduced, but few are making it through the legislative process.
Dozens of bills considered priorities by the government have remained pending in the Federal Parliament for months, while another dozen are stuck in parliamentary committees. With the ongoing monsoon session likely to mid-October, officials at the Federal Parliament Secretariat say the limited time remaining could further constrain the passage of laws.
No bill has been authenticated in the two months since Parliament passed the annual budget for fiscal year 2026/27 and other budget-related legislation.
The problem is also reflected in the House of Representatives’ working calendar. According to parliamentary officials, the schedule through October 1 does not include the final passage of any bill. Most of the listed business involves presenting proposals for consideration or sending bills to relevant committees for clause-by-clause discussions.
Although the government has registered 11 bills during this period, the large number of bills pending in committees has raised concerns that Parliament could once again become a place where bills accumulate without reaching a conclusion.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Lima Adhikari said Parliament should not merely endorse decisions made by the government.
“Parliament should not be made a rubber stamp for government decisions,” she said. “Parliament is not a rubber stamp. Nor is it an office subordinate to the government. It is the highest political institution representing the exercise of the people’s sovereignty.”
Stack of bills stalled in National Assembly
Adhikari said Parliament must move beyond the simplistic process of “the government brings a bill and Parliament passes it.” Questions about who introduced a bill, how it was drafted and debated, and what impact the resulting law has on people should be central to the legislative process, she said.
“Nepal does not need more laws. It needs good laws, the right process and a strong parliament,” she said.
Experts say the government has a responsibility to provide Parliament with sufficient business and remain active in facilitating the passage of bills pending in committees. While the parliamentary calendar naturally becomes tighter as major festivals, particularly Dashain, approach, they say the nature of the scheduled business raises concerns about whether Parliament is fulfilling its core legislative role.
Analysts argue that the situation raises questions about Parliament’s institutional effectiveness. Regardless of which government is in power, they say, the speed of lawmaking needs to be balanced with the quality of legislation. Treating parliamentary business as a formality because of time constraints is not considered a healthy sign for democratic practice.
They argue that instead of preparing a calendar focused on showing legislative activity shortly before major holidays, Parliament should function in a systematic and productive manner throughout the year.
During the winter session, five ordinance-replacement bills and five other bills were passed. Since then, no bill has been passed, according to officials at the Federal Parliament Secretariat.
Of the bills passed during the winter session, three were related to the budget, six replaced ordinances issued by the government, and one was a regular bill registered through the parliamentary process.
The six ordinance-replacement bills included the Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2083 BS; Prevention of Money Laundering (Third Amendment) Bill, 2083 BS; Cooperatives (First Amendment) Bill, 2083 BS; Bill to Amend Certain Nepal Acts Relating to Health Science Academies, 2083 BS; House of Representatives Member Election (First Amendment) Bill, 2083 BS; and Voter List (First Amendment) Bill, 2083 BS.
The budget-related legislation passed by Parliament included the Finance Bill, Appropriation Bill, National Debt Raising Bill and Alternative Development Finance Mobilization Bill.
However, during the budget session and from mid-August to mid-September, dozens of bills were registered and introduced in Parliament, but the parliamentary calendar did not prioritize their final passage.
This has created two different speeds within the legislative process: bills are being brought to Parliament, but their passage is being continually pushed back, analysts say. The growing number of registered bills, without corresponding progress toward final approval, has strengthened concerns that Parliament could once again turn into a “warehouse” for bills.
Analysts say the recent registration of 11 bills shows that the government’s drafting process has not come to a complete halt. However, they caution that registration alone is not enough.
“Looking at the overall parliamentary calendar and the trend of the past year, registering bills alone is not sufficient,” an analyst said. “They need to go through serious deliberation, committee scrutiny and timely final passage. That requires both political will and parliamentary discipline.”
Otherwise, they warn, even with a comfortable two-thirds majority, Parliament risks being reduced to a ceremonial institution that demonstrates legislative “business” only once or twice a year rather than functioning as a strong lawmaking body.
According to the Parliament Secretariat, bills registered as early as July 30 include the Payment and Settlement (First Amendment) Bill, Citizen Investment Trust (Third Amendment) Bill and Employees Provident Fund (10th Amendment) Bill from the Ministry of Finance.
The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has registered the Nepal Law Commission (First Amendment) Bill and Mediation (Second Amendment) Bill, while the Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security has registered bills to amend laws relating to children and human trafficking.
Other bills registered in the House of Representatives include those concerning child labor regulation, passports, mines and minerals, and the remuneration and facilities of office-bearers of constitutional bodies. Bills concerning control of infectious animal diseases and liabilities related to domestic air services are at various stages in the National Assembly.
Officials say some of these bills—including those on child labor regulation, passports, mediation and domestic air service liabilities—had been expected to be registered by the Ministry of Law by the end of June. Their delayed registration is likely to further delay their passage.
The number of bills currently in Parliament also remains small compared with the 45 bills identified by the government as priorities. Major bills, including those concerning the Federal Civil Service, Information Technology and Cyber Security, amendments to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, and the Civil Aviation Authority and Air Services Authority of Nepal, have yet to be registered.
