Iraq parliament to vote on Popular Mobilization, oil and gas laws next session

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's parliament is set to read and vote on more than 100 draft laws during its upcoming legislative session, including long-pending measures on the Popular Mobilization Forces, oil and gas, the federal civil service, the Federal Supreme Court and pension regulations, a lawmaker said on Monday. Najaf MP Budha al-Sadhan, a member of the National Approach bloc, said parliament has accumulated over 100 draft laws, some of which will be read and discussed while others will be amended before being put to a vote. He added that legislation on salary grades will also be on the agenda, with parliamentary committees planning to submit their second-session drafts to the Council of Representatives' presidency to begin the reading and debate process. The oil and gas law has remained on the legislative agenda for years because of disputes over the management of natural resources and the distribution of revenues between Baghdad, Erbil and other producing provinces. First Deputy Speaker Adnan al-Fnein confirmed nearly a month ago that intensive work was underway to move a series of important and delayed bills, led by the oil and gas law and the Popular Mobilization Forces law, into the legislative pipeline.