On Friday, 16th June 2023, Honourable Members gathered in the Chambers of the National Assembly Building in Belmopan for a Sitting of the House of Representatives. The meeting began at 10:25 A.M. with the Belizean National Prayer offered by Member for Dangriga.
Following the National Prayer and the Honourable Speaker’s announcement, the following THREE (3) Papers were presented and ordered to be laid on the Table:
No. HR195A/1/13 – Supplementary Appropriation (No.1) Schedule for Fiscal Year 2023/2024.
No. HR196/1/13 – Annual Report of the Integrity Commission of Belize for the period 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020.
No. HR197/1/13 – Annual Report of the Integrity Commission of Belize for the period April 2022 to March 2023.
Hereafter Reports from the Finance and Economic Development Committee were presented and laid on the Table as follows:
No. HR198/1/13 – Report from the Finance and Economic Development Committee on the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) – Amendment No. 1 to Loan Agreements No. 1997, 2061, 2054, 2147 and 2295, Loan Amendment Motion, 2023.
No. HR199/1/13 – Report from the Finance and Economic Development Committee on the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) – Amendment No. 2 to Loan Agreement No. 025-106001, Loan Amendment Motion, 2023.
No. HR200/1/13 – Report from the Finance and Economic Development Committee on the Belize Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
No. HR201/1/13 – Report from the Finance and Economic Development Committee on the Financial Intelligence Unit (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
No. HR202/1/13 – Report from the Finance and Economic Development Committee on the Civil Asset Recovery and Unexplained Wealth Bill, 2023.
No. HR203/1/13 – Report from the Finance and Economic Development Committee on the International Limited Liability Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
No. HR203A/1/13 – Report from the Finance and Economic Development Committee on the Insurance Bill, 2023.
After, No. HR204/1/13 – Report from the National Security and Immigration Committee on the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was presented and ordered to lie on the Table.
Following the Reports, the Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Member for Mesopotamia rose to ask the THREE (3) questions.
*For more information on the content of the questions and the responses, kindly refer to the Supplementary Orders of the Day and the live broadcast of the Sitting. *
In this Sitting of the House of Representatives, a total of THREE (3) Bills were introduced by the Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development, particularly:
- General Revenue Supplementary Appropriation (2023/2024) (No. 1) Bill, 2023;
- International Banking (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2023; and
- Domestic Banks and Financial Institutions (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2023.
The TWO (2) Motions introduced in the last Sitting of the House of Representatives were approved in today’s Sitting, namely:
- Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) – Amendment No. 1 to Loan Agreements No. 1997, 2061, 2054, 2147 and 2295, Loan Amendment Motion, 2023; and
- Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) – Amendment No. 2 to Loan Agreement No. 025-106001, Loan Amendment Motion, 2023.
The Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment, rose to introduce the Inter-American Development Bank – Skills for the Future Program – (US$15 Million) Loan Motion, 2023.
The General Revenue Supplementary Appropriation (2023/2024) (No. 1) Bill, 2023, was the only Bill introduced and taken through all of its stages.
A total of SEVEN (7) Bills were passed today with THREE (3) receiving amendments, respectively:
- Insurance Bill, 2023;
- Civil Asset Recovery and Unexplained Wealth Bill, 2023; and
- International Limited Liability Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
The remainder passed without amendments are as follows:
- General Revenue Supplementary Appropriation (2023/2024) (No. 1) Bill, 2023;
- Belize Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2023;
- Financial Intelligence Unit (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and
- Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
This captures the essence of the Sitting of the House of Representatives. The meeting concluded at 3:10 P.M.
For further information on the Orders of the Day, please see the links below:
https://www.nationalassembly.gov.bz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Orders-of-the-Day-June-16-2023.pdf
For access to the Draft Bills introduced, please see the link below:
https://www.nationalassembly.gov.bz/draft-bills-2023/
For access to the broadcast of the Sitting, kindly see the link below: