BAGHDAD – Iraq’s government, already infamous for its lethargy and red tape that

snarled national progress, might soon shut down for much of the summertime.

A proposed new law, which a parliamentary committee plans to discuss today, aims to shorten workdays and help public employees avoid searing temperatures that commonly exceed 120 degrees and blanket the country during summer’s peak. It also will cut work hours during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that begins in late July, Younadam Kanna, chairman of parliament’s labor and social affairs committee, said Saturday.