Knesset Committees

About Knesset Committees   Permanent Knesset Committees   Special Committees   Parliamentary Inquiry Committees   Ethics Committee   Makeup of All Knesset Committees Current Information   Currently Functioning Committees   Current Committee Chairpersons   Current Subcommittees There are four types of Knesset committees that function on a regular basis: Permanent Knesset Committees, whose number today is 12, include (in alphabetical order): the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs; the Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality; the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee; the Economic Affairs Committee; the Education, Culture, and Sports Committee; the Finance Committee; the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee; the House Committee; the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee; the Labor, Welfare and Health Committee; the Science and Technology Committee; and the State Control Committee. Special Knesset Committees function in a similar manner to the permanent committees, but have a limited term of office. Today, there are three such functional committees: The Committee on Drug Abuse, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and the Committee for Foreign Workers. Parliamentary Inquiry Committees are appointed by the plenum to deal with particular issues viewed by the Knesset as having special national importance. The Ethics Committee is responsible for the jurisdiction over Knesset Members who have violated rules of ethics of the Knesset or who have been involved in illegal activity outside of the Knesset. In addition, there are two types of committees in the Knesset which convene only when needed: The Interpretations Committee deals with appeals against the interpretation given by the Speaker during a sitting of the plenum to the Knesset Rules of Procedure or precedents. The Committee is made up of the Speaker and eight Knesset members chosen by the House Committee. Public Committees are at times established to deal with issues that are connected to the Knesset. The members of public committees may be experts in a particular field, public figures, or current or past Knesset members. An example of such a committee is the Public Committee for the Draft of Ethical Guidelines for Knesset Members.