Reading diary 3

Date：31 May 2009
Name and URL：
Parties to extend Diet session to August
www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200905300070.html

Text:
Ruling coalition executives agreed Friday to extend the current Diet session for at least 60 days, which would ensure passage of important bills and likely delay the next Lower House election until August or September.
Prime Minister Taro Aso of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Akihiro Ota, leader of junior ruling coalition partner New Komeito, will make a formal decision Monday, two days before the scheduled end of the ordinary Diet session.
While the prime minister has the power to dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election at any time, the coalition parties want to pass a number of bills in the Diet before an election is called.
The Lower House, where the ruling parties have a solid majority, has already passed or will soon pass legislation related to the fiscal 2009 supplementary budget, including the tax system revision bill and the bill to revise the law on privatizing the Development Bank of Japan.
Other important bills, including one on anti-piracy measures, are certain to pass the Diet by late June.
The lengthy extension of the Diet session is intended to negate any delay tactics from the opposition-controlled Upper House.
If the opposition parties vote against bills that have already cleared the Lower House, the lower chamber of the Diet can hold a second vote on the bills and pass them into law with a two-thirds majority.
If the Upper House refuses to vote on a bill within 60 days after receiving it from the Lower House, the bill will be viewed as rejected, and the Lower House can pass it in a second vote.
Since an ordinary Diet session can be extended only once, the ruling coalition and government have decided to give the current session a long extension until early August to ensure passage of the legislation.
However, views are strong within the ruling parties that Aso should dissolve the Lower House for a snap election if a favorable situation presents itself.
Because of this, ruling coalition members feel that the Lower House election will come in August after the July 12 Tokyo metropolitan assembly election.
To leave open the option of further delaying the next Lower House election, the idea of extending the Diet session even beyond early August has been floated within the coalition parties.

Summary:
主な党は国会の会期を60日間延長することに賛成した。
衆議院は2009年の補正予算をすでに通過、またはすぐに通過させる。
他の海賊対処法案を含んだ重要な法案も、6月後半までには通過することが確かだ。
もし参議院が衆議院から法案を受け取ってから60日間、投票を拒絶したら、
その法案は否決となり、また衆議院は2度目の投票でそれを通過させることができる。
通常国会は、1度しか延長できないので、8月前半までの長い延長を決めた。

What I find interesting:
国会での会議は重要なものだから、最善の結果を出すために延長することはいいことだと思う。
60日ルールがあるから、8月上旬までの60日間という大幅な延期は不可欠だったんだろうなと思った。
国会は1度しか延長できないというのは初めて知りました。

New words/expressions I learn:
ruling　主な
coalition　連合、党
anti-piracy measures　海賊対処法案
legislation　法律制定
supplementary budget　補正予算
ruling party 与党