Sophon has approved the committee's operational guidelines, ordering the removal of the committee chair's power to summon individuals for explanations arbitrarily without committee resolutions. If a matter involves overlapping considerations by two or more committees, an agreement must be reached to avoid duplication.
On 2 Nov 2026, reporters from the parliament reported on conflicts regarding the use of authority by the various standing committee chairs of the House of Representatives in summoning individuals to provide information to committees. There have been disputes over the chair's power to call individuals for explanations without committee resolutions. Recently, on 21 Oct, a joint meeting was held between the Speaker of the House and chairs of all 35 committees to discuss aligning committee operations, including the scope of authority, agenda-setting powers, topic determination, inviting individuals or agencies for information, and the use of committee summoning powers.
The following conclusions were reached to unify committee operations:
1. Interpretation of the scope of committee duties and powers must strictly follow the letter and intent of the law. Each committee must avoid expanding its authority to overlap with other committees' duties. If a matter involves two or more committees, officials will report it to the Speaker to temporarily halt consideration. Then, a joint meeting of the Speaker and relevant committee chairs will determine which committee will handle the issue. If no agreement is reached, the Speaker will decide.
2. Committee meetings shall be scheduled by a committee resolution in the first meeting to set weekly meetings. Chairs may call special meetings as needed for urgent matters, but these should not become regularly scheduled weekly meetings.
3. Committee chairs may not alter meeting agendas set by committee resolutions. While chairs have the power to set agendas related to their committee’s duties, this power is limited. They do not have authority to add agenda items or summon individuals or agencies for explanations without a committee resolution.
4. Committee power to summon individuals or documents requires a committee resolution; chairs cannot summon alone. In practice, committees may use the term "invite" instead of "summon," but both imply requesting cooperation under constitutional authority. If a summoned state official does not cooperate and legal enforcement is desired, the summons must follow the procedures of the 2025 Act on Summoning Powers of House and Senate Committees. The Speaker has approved these guidelines and will send an official circular to all committee chairs to formalize their implementation.