The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE Christie administration failed to table the promised landmark pieces of legislation in the House of Assembly before it adjourned until the New Year.

While an amendment to the Child Protection Act, also known as Marco’s Law, was advanced in the House last year, regulations for the country’s first sexual offender registry was not advanced as promised.

The government also failed to bring legislation to govern the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

However, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage told reporters that both the proposed NIA Bill and the sex offender registry regulations had been completed.

They were not tabled in the House of Assembly, Dr Nottage said, because the Attorney General’s office requested at the last minute to review the documents.

The House of Assembly will resume on January 14, 2015.

When asked if he could say whether the legislation would be up for debate at that time, Dr Nottage, who is also the leader of government business, said it was unlikely to take place in January.

“The Attorney General’s Office,” he explained, “wanted to review it (NIA legislation) at the last minute. So we have had to postpone tabling it.

“I have it in here but we are just waiting for them to release it and then we will circulate it to members during the recess, that is my intention.

“When the Attorney General’s Office releases it to me during the recess I’ll send it out to members of parliament and others so that they could have a look at it. So that when we come back we can debate it and it is the same with sexual offenders regulations. We have that completed too, but the AG also asked for more time to look at it. It was my intention to do all of them today.

“I can’t tell you when I am going to start debate on it, but it is on the agenda. It won’t be on the agenda (until) we come back so it’s unlikely to be January.”

This comes a day after Bahamas Against Crime Executive Director Rev C B Moss accused the government of dropping the ball on advancing the sexual offender registry and Marco’s Law.

The government tabled Marco’s Law, an amendment to the Child Protection Act, more than one year ago on December 5, 2013.

The regulations would see the MARCO alert system and a sex offender registry implemented for the first time in The Bahamas.

Concerning the NIA, the government earlier this year promised to table legislation to govern its operation shortly after the 2014/2015 budget debate wrapped up.

The NIA has been a point of contention between the government and the Free National Movement. Former deputy leader of the party Loretta Butler-Turner initially sounded the alarm on the agency saying it was operating without a legal framework and possibly spying on Bahamians. The government has denied that the NIA is spying on civilians.