By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
NEARLY 100 bills were passed during the Parliamentary session that ended on Saturday, fulfilling some of the promises the Davis administration made in the 2021 Speech from the Throne.
Six bills expired because of the prorogation, including a bill to amend the Child Protection Act; a bill establishing an independent body to manage the courts; a bill to repeal and replace the National Health Insurance Act; a bill to establish an Office of the Ombudsman; a bill to repeal and replace the Consumer Protection Act; and a bill to regulate mineral prospecting, mining and related matters.
Attorney General Ryan Pinder said the expired bills would be reintroduced in the next parliamentary session.
As usual, budget bills comprised much of the legislation passed during the previous session. Amendments to existing laws were another significant category of bills that became laws.
Ending the COVID-19 emergency orders was a significant early commitment of the Davis administration. It achieved this in 2021 by passing the COVID-19 Pandemic (Special Provisions) Bill and the Health Services Rules.
The administration also followed through on its pledge to reduce the value-added tax rate to ten per cent.
During the 2021 Speech from The Throne, Governor General CA Smith said the government would amend the Public Procurement Act, the Public Financial Management Act and introduce a Merchant Shipping Bill. The administration executed these commitments, although complete compliance with the procurement law remains elusive.
The administration also passed the National Investment Fund, fulfilling its pledge to replace the Sovereign Wealth Fund.
The administration did not execute its commitment to amend the Commercial Enterprises Act, a law Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, as Opposition leader, vowed to repeal.
The administration also failed to amend the Education Act; an amendment, according to the Speech from the Throne, that was supposed to “provide for universal pre-primary education for three and four-year-olds, consolidate the National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of The Bahamas (NAECOB) and the Preschool and Day Care Council, and specify home-schooling modalities.”
The government also promised to “work towards the finalisation of a Local Government Act for New Providence.” The status of this is unclear.
Regarding its pledge to introduce anti-corruption legislation, Mr Pinder suggested this will happen during the next session.
The administration’s pledge to introduce a regulatory framework for the cannabis industry is still pending.
Comments
birdiestrachan 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Roman was not built in a day and God the all mighty took 6 days ,God could have accomplished all in one day but he took six there is a lesson in it.
TalRussell 8 months, 3 weeks ago
.... The Tribune, should've indexed by titles and how the nearly 100 bills were passed during the Parliamentary session that ended on Saturday, --- Have begun to address some of the pressing needs of a popoulaces'. --- Yes?
ExposedU2C 8 months, 3 weeks ago
The Tribune is obviously much too dependent on government advertising dollars to report the truth about the many legislative bills that have been indefinitely shelved. And just think, government shovels to The Tribune, in the form of paid advertising, a lot of the hard earned money it takes from us taxpayers.
And of course, The Tribune always chooses to suppress as much bad news as possible about the government for fear of losing some of those valuable advertising dollars that government throws their way as its biggest advertising customer.
birdiestrachan 8 months, 3 weeks ago
all considered the tribune surpassed the rest they allow for comments on some articles , that other one editorial says We,, who are We the FNM party .? and the FNM members of the house read and lay on the house their articles as if it is the gospel according to the FNM party
ThisIsOurs 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Passing Bills is their job. The fact that they have a super majority makes passing a bill even less significant. What else?
TalRussell 8 months, 3 weeks ago
.... 'Readers' look to the Tribune to be the clarifier,'---- Should the two criminally embattled House-elected MPs' --- Still be entitled to collect the MP's $200,000 constituencies annual payments ---- Along with the other special out island MPs' financial allowances and benefits', --- Yes?
ThisIsOurs 8 months, 3 weeks ago
No. They should collect their salary and be sent on leave. They should have no authority to carry out any function of their office until they have been found not guilty, if guilty someone else gets to carry out the mandate. We need to stop this nonsense that someone charged with murder can sit in Parliament like nothing happen until a court finds them guilty 5 years later. This system is used for every other senior office across govt.
ExposedU2C 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Brave has assured his fellow MP that he will get his government pension even if he is found guilty of murder.
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