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The House Committee may allocate bills (except Appropriation Bill and bills not referred to the House Committee under the Standing Orders of the Council) to Bills Committees for detailed scrutiny.

A Bills Committee will consider the principles and merits of the bill concerned as well as its detailed provisions, and may consider amendments relevant to the bill. It may also appoint subcommittees for the purpose of assisting it in the performance of its functions. After a Bills Committee has completed scrutiny of a bill, it will report back to the House Committee. It will be dissolved on the passage of the bill concerned through the Council or as decided by the House Committee.

A Bills Committee shall consist of not less than three members including the chairman. Members may join a Bills Committee by a show of hands at the House Committee meeting at which a bill is allocated to that Bills Committee, or by submission of returns to the Secretariat by the deadline set before the first meeting of the Bills Committee.

The maximum number of Bills Committees and Subcommittees of House Committee studying subsidiary legislation, Government motions or orders should be limited to 18 at any one time. If more than 18 Bills Committees and Subcommittees are formed, a queuing system will automatically be activated.

The 20 active Bills Committees are tabled below : -

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