Public Hearing as a Part of the Legislative Procedure in the Senate

Abstract

The article presents issues relating to public hearing as a social instrument influencing the legislative procedure in the Senate. This institution is in line with the constitutional assumptions relating to the principles of a democratic state ruled by law, national sovereignty, social dialogue and the right to be informed about the activities of public authorities. The conducted research begins with an analysis of the legal regulations concerning public hearing. Practice shows that, unfortunately, its potential is not properly used, because this tool of social participation is used extremely rarely. The further part of the article presents the elements of the law-making process that require changes. These changes could contribute to the improvement of its effectiveness. In particular, modifications should be implemented in the institutional sphere, within the framework of creating transparent rules of cooperation between participants in the law-making process.

Keywords

• public hearing
• senate
• legislative procedure
• social participation
• poland