Bill Watch 37/2019
In Parliament This Week
& Coming up in Parliament This Week
23 July 2019
Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Debt
Management Act.
Senate
The Senate had no Bills to consider.
Senator Wunganayi presented a motion calling on Government to urgently
allocate foreign currency to local authorities for water infrastructure
development and water treatment chemicals.
Senator Tongogara presented her motion calling on Government and
stakeholders, in particular traditional and religious leaders to vigorously enforce
the law against child marriages and inculcate cultural values, saying that before
Independence such marriages were a rare occurrence.
Senator S. Ncube moved that the Senate take note of the Thematic Committee
on Gender and Development's Report on Cancer Treatment and Control in
Zimbabwe [link].
Coming up in the National Assembly This Week
Bills
Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency Bill [link]
This Bill is item 1 on the Order Paper for Tuesday 23rd July, for continuation of
the Second Reading debate with further contributions from MPs and, possibly,
the Minister's winding-up speech responding to the numerous suggestions
made for the improvement of the Bill. The Minister has already had much to
think about on that score [see above for the portfolio committees' joint report
[link] and MPs' contributions so far].
Education Amendment Bill [link]
Continuation of the barely-started Committee Stage is item 2 on the Order
Paper for 23rd July. Most of the seven pages of amendments [link] proposed
by the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary
Education, Hon Misihairabwi-Mushonga still have to be considered]. The
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education has already told the House
[when winding up the Second Reading debate on 18th June] that he will accept
most of the amendments recommended by the Portfolio Committee – see Bill
Watch 31/2019 of 21st June [link].
Maintenance of Peace and Order Bill [link]
If, as expected, the PLC report is received, the House can be expected to
make a start on the Second Reading stage of the Bill.
Motions
Like last week, items 3, 4 and 5 on the Order Paper are continuation of the
adjourned debates on Government motions to take note of: (3) the Judicial
Service Commission’s annual report for 2018; (4) the Zimbabwe Human Rights
Commission’s report on the 2018 Harmonised Elections [link]; and (5) the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s report [link] on the same elections. Item 6