Bill Watch 14/2014 of 18th March

BILL WATCH 14/2014

[18th March 2014]

The National Assembly is Sitting This Week
The Senate will not sit again until Tuesday 25th March

Coming up in the National Assembly This Week

The week’s sittings of the National Assembly will start on Tuesday 18th March at 2.15 pm.

Bills

Items 1 and 2 on the National Assembly’s Order Paper for Tuesday 18th March are:

• ·        Financial Adjustments Bill – for the Committee Stage, during which the Minister of Finance and Economic Development will move three amendments aimed at adjusting upwards unauthorised expenditure during 2013 by Parliament and by the Ministries of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, as specified in the Bill.  Hon Cross, of the Finance and Economic Planning Committee, told MPs during the Second Reading proceedings on 5th March that the committee was satisfied that the Bill should be adopted, as the expenditure had been unavoidable.  The Bill seeks Parliament’s condonation of the expenditure, which was mainly on the Referendum, the harmonised elections, agricultural inputs, grain procurement and overruns on employment costs.
• ·        Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill – for continuation of the Second Reading debate started last week.

Motions

Items high on the Order Paper are:

Tripartite Negotiating Forum  Hon Hlongwane’s new motion calls on the Government to reactivate the dormant Tripartite Negotiating Forum constituted by Government, business and labour.

TV and radio coverage of Parliament  Hon Chamisa’s new motion calls for, among other things, live coverage of Parliamentary proceedings by TV and radio.  

Welfare of war veterans  Hon Muderedzwa’s new motion calls for the reconstitution of the War Veterans Board, funding to operationalise the War Veterans Fund and the initiation of empowerment programmes for the benefit of war veterans.

Question Time [Wednesday 19th March]

The number of written questions listed on the Order Paper has grown to 80.  Recently added questions include:

Motor vehicle registration plates  A question for the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development asks him to explain whether it is economically viable to insist on issuing new number plates every time ownership of a vehicle is changed.

Revenue from tollgates  Another question for the Minister of Transport and  Infrastructure Development asks for details of: the total amount collected from all tollgates since their inception; how the funds have been utilised for road maintenance in each province; and the major roads maintained from such funds.

Update on Bills

[unless otherwise stated, soft copies are available from addresses at the end of this bulletin]

Bill for Committee Stage

Financial Adjustments Bill

Bill in mid-Second Reading stage

Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill

Bill awaiting Second Reading stage

Electoral Amendment Bill [in Senate, non-adverse  report from Parliamentary Legal Committee announced on 5th March

Bills awaiting PLC reports

For report to National Assembly

     National Prosecuting Authority Bill

Bills gazetted and awaiting introduction

     Appropriation (2013) (Supplementary) Bill

     Biological and Toxin Weapons Crimes Bill

     Trafficking in Persons Bill [available 20th March]

Bill returned by President for reconsideration

     Income Tax Bill [not available]

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