The Petitions Committee learns first-hand how legislation impacts ordinary people. For any letters with requests or complaints addressed to the Bundestag are passed on to the 31 members of the Committee, who examine and deliberate on these petitions. This makes it a seismograph that records the mood among the population. Its members are best placed to say whether legislation is achieving its intended aims or causing new problems and therefore needs to be reviewed critically, or whether the Bundestag should take action to address a particular concern.
