Results of the members’ bill ballot for 11 August 2016
11 August 2016
In a democratic process unique to the New Zealand Parliament – three bills were drawn from a biscuit tin at today’s
members’ bill ballot.
Table office staff holds the tin while the Deputy Serjeant-at-Arms draws a token from it.
Source: Office of the Clerk
The three members’ bills drawn from the ballot were:
What are members’ bills?
Most bills (proposed laws) considered by the House of Representatives are Government bills. However, MPs who are not
Ministers can introduce their own bills, which are called members’ bills. Each member may have only one proposed bill in
the ballot in their name at any one time.
The ballot is held to select one or more new member's bills to be introduced when fewer than eight members’ bills are on
the Order Paper (the House’s agenda). The ballot is simply involves drawing numbered tokens from a container, with one
token drawn for each available bill to enter on the Order Paper.