On December 12th, 2025 (B.E. 2568), the Royal Decree dissolving the Thailand House of Representatives, with Mr. Charnvirakul countersigning, was published on the Royal Gazette website. This dissolution effectively halts all pending legislative progress, relegating numerous draft laws, including crucial initiatives pertaining to environmental protection, public health, and labor safety, to legislative limbo. The continuation of these efforts now hinges solely on the political priorities of the newly formed government and its commitment to resuming the legislative process within the prescribed constitutional deadlines.

 

The Foundation of Thai Lawmaking

The process for enacting laws in Thailand is grounded in a civil law system, with the 2017 Constitution serving as the supreme law that supersedes all other legal instruments,,,,. Legislation is primarily generated through two parallel avenues: primary legislation (Acts of Parliament) enacted by the bicameral National Assembly (House of Representatives and Senate), and subordinate legislation (such as Ministerial Regulations) issued by the executive branch,,.

The initiation of primary legislation, or bills, is largely controlled by the executive, with the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) being the most common source of proposals,,,. Bills may also be introduced by a minimum of twenty members of the House of Representatives or, notably, through citizen petitions supported by at least ten thousand eligible voters, particularly for matters related to rights and liberties or fundamental state policies.

Figure: Development Procedure from Bill to Law in Thailand

Before any draft legislation, whether a major Act or a subordinate regulation, advances, it must undergo a process characterized by rigorous checks to ensure technical quality and adherence to constitutional principles. Key procedural requirements mandated by Section 77 of the Constitution and further defined by Cabinet guidelines include conducting a strict examination of the necessity for the law, undertaking comprehensive public consultation processes (lasting not less than fifteen days), and preparing detailed impact assessments (IA). Crucially, drafts proposed by government agencies are subject to mandatory technical vetting by the Office of the Council of State (OCS), which scrutinizes the proposed text for legal consistency, adherence to legal precedents, and proper drafting technique, serving as a non-political quality control body. Once passed by the National Assembly and signed by the King (or promulgated without the King’s signature via an override procedure), a law officially gains legal force upon its publication in the Government Gazette (Royal Gazette).

 

Critical Environmental and Social Regulations Halted

The dissolution immediately affects numerous critical pending draft laws across the environmental, health, safety, and labor spectrum that had not yet achieved final approval,,. Under the Constitution’s mandate (Section 147), bills that the National Assembly has not yet approved automatically lapse, or “fall away,” upon dissolution.

Two of the most significant environmental and public health bills currently affected are the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Bill and the Clean Air Act.

The Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Bill:

The PRTR Bill, formally known as the “Act on the Reporting of Pollutant Release and Transfer,” is a crucial piece of legislation intended to establish a fundamental framework for pollution prevention and effective remediation.

  • Purpose and Importance: The core objective of the PRTR legislation is to mandate the creation of a comprehensive database system detailing the release and transfer of pollutants and chemical substances throughout Thailand, and subsequently making this crucial information publicly accessible. Transparency regarding the handling of chemical and pollution data is essential for laying the groundwork to prevent health impacts and improve the efficiency of environmental corrective measures.
  • Legislative Status at Dissolution: This bill had achieved a significant milestone, having passed the first reading (approval of principle) in the House of Representatives. The special committee assigned to review the bill had finished scrutinizing the entire draft and was preparing to submit it for the second reading (clause-by-clause deliberation) before the full House of Representatives.

The Clean Air Act:

The draft Act on Management for Clean Air is a highly anticipated regulatory effort proposed by the Cabinet, parliamentarians, and citizens collectively, targeting the severe national problem of air pollution, especially PM 2.5.

  • Purpose and Importance: The law aims to guarantee the basic right to breathe clean air for the public. It is designed to administer and control all activities contributing to air pollution, including industrial emissions and forest fires. Structurally, it proposes establishing specialized bodies tasked with scrutinizing governmental performance and actions by polluters, while simultaneously broadening opportunities for public participation in data monitoring and verification,.
  • Health and Safety Implications: The importance of this law extends directly into public health and worker safety. During the legislative process, there was discussion about explicitly including vulnerable populations, such as outdoor workers (like traffic police or construction laborers), under the bill’s purview due to their disproportionate exposure to air pollutants,.
  • Economic Measures and Tools: Key economic instruments proposed within the Act include the establishment of a Clean Air Fund and the implementation of mechanisms like a Deposit & Refund system,. The Deposit & Refund system, particularly aimed at agricultural chemical containers and electronic waste, is vital for adding value to waste, thereby curbing the widespread practice of burning refuse that generates PM 2.5 pollution,. The loss of this bill threatens the implementation of these critical, modern pollution control tools.
  • Legislative Status at Dissolution: This bill was stalled at the Senate level, specifically within a Senate special committee which had completed its comprehensive review of all clauses but was still finalizing the process by resolving dissenting opinions (reservations on amendments) held by various senators,. The Senate committee chair had expressed confidence that the bill would be ready for the Senate floor vote by late December 2025 or early January 2026, just before the expected dissolution date.

Other Affected Social and Labor-Related Bills:

Beyond primary environmental concerns, other related legislative initiatives that were halted by the dissolution include:

  • Labor Protection Act Amendment: A draft bill to amend the Labor Protection Act was under consideration by a special committee in the House of Representatives.
  • Land Rights Amnesty Bill: A draft act offering amnesty to citizens affected by state policies regarding land and natural resources—aimed at restoring justice to residents wrongly accused of encroachment on land designated as protected areas after their occupancy—was stuck in committee review after passing its first reading,.

 

The Path to Resumption and Expected Timeline

The immediate effect of the dissolution is that the legislative progress on the PRTR Act, the Clean Air Act, and other statutory drafts is entirely suspended, meaning they formally lapse.

How the Process Can Be Resumed

The Constitution of Thailand (Section 147, paragraph two) provides a precise mechanism for rescuing lapsed bills under a new government,,.

1. New Cabinet Request:

The new Council of Ministers formed after the general election must submit a request to the National Assembly asking for consideration of the lapsed bills to continue.

2. Strict Deadline:

This request is constrained by a strict deadline: it must be made within 60 days of the date the National Assembly is convened for its first session following the general election,,,.

3. Parliamentary Approval:

Once the new Cabinet requests resumption, the President of the National Assembly must place the request on the agenda for consideration as an urgent matter,. If the National Assembly approves the request, the bill resumes consideration exactly where it left off (the previous stage of reading/review). For instance, the stalled PRTR bill would move immediately into the second reading in the House.

4. Citizen-Initiated Bills (Alternative Path):

For bills originally proposed through citizen petition (like portions of the Clean Air Act or other public bills), an alternative mechanism exists if the new Cabinet fails to submit the request within the initial 60-day deadline. The original proponents of the citizen bill can submit a written confirmation to the President of the House of Representatives to confirm their intent to proceed with the bill, effectively resubmitting it as a new initiative, provided this is done within 120 days of the first session of the new National Assembly.

 Expected Timeline

The ability to resume the process depends entirely on the swift establishment of a new government and its political motivation to prioritize these non-economic, public welfare laws over other urgent post-election matters. The process will face multiple stages of political transition:

1. General Election:

The election must occur following the dissolution.

2. New Parliament Convenes:

The National Assembly must be convened for its first sitting within 30 days of the general election date.

3. New Cabinet Formation:

A new government must be successfully formed and sworn in, and the new Prime Minister and Council of Ministers must take office,,.

4. Resumption Decision Window:

Once the new Cabinet is in place and the new National Assembly has held its first session, the critical 60-day period begins for the new Cabinet to request reconsideration of the lapsed environmental, health, and labor bills,.

If the new Cabinet does not prioritize the resumption of these vital environmental and social regulations within the 60-day window, the bills lapse permanently, and the entire drafting, public consultation, technical vetting, and legislative initiation process would have to restart from the beginning,. This outcome would significantly delay the urgently needed legal frameworks for pollution control and public safety for months, or potentially years.