Senate Passes National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority Act

The Senate, on Friday (May 8), passed the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Act.

NaRRA will serve as the central coordinating body for post hurricane reconstruction, aimed at eliminating bureaucracy, reducing fragmentation, and preventing project delays.

It will also function as a centre of technical excellence for project preparation and delivery, ensuring that the quality of national plans aligns with the scale of the country’s ambitions.

Closing the debate on the legislation, which was passed without amendment, Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, addressed concerns regarding a sunset clause, explaining that Part Four of the Act specifically outlines provisions for winding up the Authority.

“Clause 29 provides for dissolution of the Authority. Clauses 30 to 33 provide for savings of agreements, transfer of money, devolution of assets and liabilities, and transfer of official records. Clause 35 states that the Act continues in force only until the day after the day of dissolution.

“So, before the Act can cease to be in force, NaRRA has to be wound up. NaRRA is going to have assets. The transitional arrangements in Part Four achieve that. Part Four gives effect to the winding up of the Authority and they (the legal team) have explained… they’ve taken a lot of time explaining to me that if we had included a four- or five-year period, for example, at the end of the period, the Authority would cease to exist on that exact date and that would not facilitate the transition that winding up of the Authority provides under Part 4,” she said.

Dr. Morris Dixon explained that a public electronic register will be established to list all approved reconstruction and resilience projects.

“It’s going to be online. There will be reporting requirements. There will be audited financial statements. There will be parliamentary accountability. There will be performance indicators. There will be oversight from the Minister. There will be an independent public oversight through JAMRROC (Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee), modelled on the EPOC (Economic Programme Oversight Committee) approach that helped Jamaica maintain credibility during our economic reform programme,” she said.

JAMRROC is to be chaired by Professor Peter Blair Henry, who is currently a Senior Fellow at Standford University’s Hoover Institution.

Senator Morris Dixon noted that these safeguards are embedded in the legislation, highlighting Clause 20, which mandates the maintenance and periodic updating of a register of approved reconstruction and resilience projects.

“Clause 10 requires NaRRA to furnish the Minister with reports, returns, accounts, and other information on its activities. Clause 11 requires annual reports and audited financial statements to be submitted to the Minister and laid in both Houses of Parliament. Clause 9 requires proper accounts and annual audits and expressly allows the Auditor General to examine NaRRA’s accounts and records. JAMRROC’s public oversight and routine reporting will bring another dimension of transparency,” she said.

Senator Morris Dixon emphasised that reconstruction following the passage of the Category Five hurricane is a national undertaking.

“We do not see reconstruction as some private project of the Government… and that’s why every project needs to be known to all of Jamaica. The Administration, at every step of the way, has sought to engage the public and all parts of society.

“Our objective is and always has been to make oversight of NaRRA and its activities public and independent on those foundations and on those foundations credible,” Dr. Morris Dixon stated.

She stressed that the people of Jamaica must be able to see what is being done, where it is being done, who is responsible, what it costs, and whether it is being delivered on time.

“This Bill is about one thing: It’s about whether Jamaica, after one of the most devastating natural disasters in our history, will rebuild slowly, painfully, fragmented, or whether we’ll rebuild with urgency, coordination, and accountability and purpose,” Dr. Morris Dixon stated.

Other Senators contributing to the debate included Hon. Aubyn Hill, Marlon Morgan, Kavan Gayle, Charles Sinclair, Keith Duncan, Abka Fitz-Henley, Ramon Small Ferguson, Dr. Maziki Thame, Professor Floyd Morris, Donna Scott Mottley, Rose Bennett Cooper, Cleveland Tomlinson, Allan Bernard, and Lambert Brown.