Private Member

American  

noun

1. (sometimes lowercase)  a member of a legislative body, especially of the House of Commons, who has no special duties and is not a member of the ministry.

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private member British  

noun

1. a member of a legislative assembly, such as the House of Commons, not having an appointment in the government

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Etymology

Origin of Private Member

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

With the legislation having been drafted as a private member's bill by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, there is a hard deadline on when agreement must be reached with peers.

From BBC

While the government can choose to make extra time available for this type of bill - known as a private member's bill - they are generally allocated less time than government legislation so can be vulnerable to delays.

From BBC

They say it is almost certainly unprecedented for the committee stage of this type of bill, known as a private member's bill, which has been put forward by backbench Labour MP Kim Leadbeater rather than the government.

From BBC

"It's a simple single clause, it could be added to constitutional bill or a private member's bill," she said.

From BBC

The government said in November, when it formally supported Dr Chambers' private member's bill, that the "non-commercial" movement of pets had soared from 100,000 in 2011 to over 320,000 in 2023.

From BBC