Bill Watch 51/2019 [Last Week in Parliament & Second Session Opened Today 1st October] 01 October 2019
BILL WATCH 51/2019
[1st October 2019]
The Second Session of this Parliament Opened Today
Ceremonial Opening of Parliament
President Mnangagwa opened the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of
Zimbabwe at a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament in the National
Assembly today. At 12 noon, after the customary preliminaries outside
Parliament, the President went into the National Assembly chamber to deliver
his State of the Nation Address [SONA] [link]. The address included the
Government’s Legislative Agenda for the coming session.
Afterwards both Houses met briefly and then adjourned for three weeks. They
will meet again on Tuesday 22nd October...
Bills in Parliament Last Week
Education Amendment Bill stalled by National Assembly’s rejection of
Senate Amendment
On Wednesday 25th September the Senate received a non-adverse report from
the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] on its single amendment to the Bill.
[Clause 14(k) of the Bill provided for the “appointment of sexual and
reproductive health personnel” in schools, and Senators had objected strongly
to and deleted the words “sexual and”.] The Senate then finalised the Bill and
returned it to the National Assembly. In brief proceedings the following day the
National Assembly rejected the Senate’s amendment. This disagreement
between the two Houses stopped the Bill’s further progress for the time being.
The Bill, therefore, joins the other uncompleted Bills on the list of Bills lapsing at
the end of the First Session. As pointed out in Bill Watch 49/2019 [link], a Bill
that lapses at the end of one session can be restored to the Order Paper by
vote of the House in which the Bill was last discussed, in which case
proceedings can continue from the stage previously reached
No progress on other Bills
No progress was made on the other Bills before the National Assembly:
Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency Bill, Money Laundering and
Proceeds of Crime Amendment Bill and Coroner’s Office Bill, and the three Bills
still under consideration by the PLC: Marriages Bill, Freedom of Information Bill
and Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill. All these Bills will also need to be
restored to the Order Paper in the Second Session.
Constituency Development Fund [CDF] Increased
It was announced in both Houses that following the Supplementary Budget
Review the CDF allocation had been revised upwards from $80 000 to $175
238. Members were advised to submit projects for funding amounting to the
revised figure.
Other Business in the National Assembly Last Week
Debates concluded and motions approved