Conference of Chairs

1. The Seimas shall have a Conferece of Chairs comprising the members of the Board of the Seimas and the representatives of the parliamentary groups.

2. Each parliamentary group shall appoint one representative for every ten members of the group to the Conferece of Chairs.

3. In addition, each parliamentary group shall appoint to the Conferece of Chairs one representative for the remaining segment of fewer than ten members of the parliamentary group, provided that the said segment of fewer than ten members shall comprise more than five Seimas Members.

4. Parliamentary groups consisting of fewer than ten members shall each appoint one representative to the Conferece of Chairs.

5. The principal task of the Conferece of Chairs shall be to consider and approve work programmes of the Seimas session and agendas of sittings, to co-ordinate issues concerning the organisation of the work of the committees and parliamentary groups of the Seimas, and to submit drafts of the decisions on said issues to the Seimas and the Board, and give advice to the Speaker of the Seimas.

 

Powers of the Conference of Chairs

During its meetings, the Conferece of Chairs shall:

1) consider draft estimates of programmes and expenditures of the Office of the Seimas and, together with its own proposals and remarks, submit them to the Board of the Seimas;

2) consider and co-ordinate rising differences related to the work programme of a Seimas session;

3) consider and approve the drafts of agendas of week- or day-long sittings;

4) consider and co-ordinate proposals regarding the appointment of a principal committee or additional appointment of committees for consideration of a draft law, as well as setting of a preliminary date of consideration of a draft law at a Seimas sitting;

5) consider and co-ordinate rising differences concerning other issues of the organisation of the work of the Seimas;

6) hear the proposals of the chairs of the committees and chairs of the parliamentary groups on mutual relations between the committees and parliamentary groups, and submit proposals thereon to the Seimas or the Board;

7) submit recommendations to the Board of the Seimas concerning the resolution of issues which are ascribed to its competence;

8) perform the function of a co-ordinating (conciliatory) committee in the event of principal disagreements concerning key issues considered in the Seimas;

9) when necessary, establish to which institutions or persons the principal committee must refer a draft law for conclusions; and

10) when necessary, adopt a decision to relieve the principal committee of the duties set forth in Article 147 of the Statute of the Seimas.

 

Decisions of the Conference of Chairs

1. With the exception of decisions concerning the agendas of week- or day-long sittings and the decisions specified in subparagraphs 8 and 9 of Article 36 of the Statute of the Seimas, the decisions of the Conferece of Chairs shall be consultative with regard to the Seimas and the Board of the Seimas.

2. Consultative decisions of the Conferece of Chairs, as well as the decisions concerning the organisation of the work of the Assembly itself shall be adopted by simple majority vote of the members of the Conferece of Chairs of the Seimas taking part in the meeting.

3. Decisions concerning drafts of the work programme of a Seimas session, agendas of week- or day- long sittings shall be adopted provided that they are opposed by no more than 1/3 of the members of the Conferece of Chairs participating in the meeting of the Conferece of Chairs.

4. If any item of the agenda is adopted by majority vote, but is opposed by more than 1/3 of the members of the Conferece of Chairs, they shall be submitted to the Seimas as recommendations.

5. Decisions of the Conferece of Chairs shall be recorded in the minutes of the meetings, which shall be signed by the chair of the meeting of the Conferece of Chairs.