Iraqi parliament to take up long-pending bills in new legislative term

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Council of Representatives will take up dozens of long-stalled draft laws in its new legislative term, a lawmaker from the National Path Bloc, Duha al-Sadhan, said. More than 100 bills are awaiting completion of the parliamentary process, she added. Al-Sadhan said priority files include the oil and gas law, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law, the Federal Supreme Court law, the Federal Civil Service Council law, the pension law and the salary scale law. Former lawmaker Adnan Finhan had previously said the oil and gas, PMF and federal civil service bills would be among the priorities for the next term. The oil and gas law has made no progress for years due to revenue-sharing disputes between the federal government, the Kurdistan Region and producing provinces. The PMF law would set out the force's administrative structure, personnel rights and its relationship with official security institutions. The Federal Civil Service Law would regulate the appointment, salaries and career progression of state employees.