The Lower House of Parliament on Monday began deliberations of the 2020 municipalities and decentralization bill, during an evening chaired by house speaker, Abdel Moneim Odat, and in the presence of the cabinet.
The house approved a number of articles within the bill as received from the joint parliamentary committee, “legal and administrative”, following an extensive discussion by members of the parliament and a number of proposals that were submitted.
The draft law comes in accordance with the mandating reasons, to enhance popular participation in decision-making and the application of decentralization at the governorate level by transferring some of the center’s powers and departments’ functions to governorates through their various councils.
The bill aims to enhance the complementary role between the governorate councils and the municipal councils by defining powers and tasks of each council in a way that enhances the developmental and advisory aspect, within the mandate of each council, as well as defining tasks and powers of the governorate council, the executive council, and the municipal council.
The bill also includes a differentiation of tasks and powers of the municipal council and the municipality’s authorities, organizing the work mechanisms of the governorate council, the municipal council and its executive director, as well as establishing an institute to train and develop skills of heads and members of governorate and municipal councils, their employees and beneficiaries, in addition to involving representatives of the industrial, commercial, agricultural and women’s sectors in the governorate councils.
Source: Jordan News Agency