The Senate, on July 17, passed legislation to entrench local governance in the Constitution. The Constitution (Amendment) (Local Government) Act, was passed without amendments. Under the Bill, local authorities are being given the ability to perform regulatory functions to facilitate the management, improvement and development of resources of local communities. It also allows Parliament to make provision for local authorities...

The Senate, on Friday, July 3, passed the Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2015, that will facilitate the provision of an additional $35,568 in tax-free income for workers, effective January 1, 2016. The Bill, which was passed with four amendments, provides for an increase in the personal income tax threshold of $592,800 per annum, up from $557, 232. Justice Minister, Senator...

The Senate, on Friday (June 12), approved a motion for a comprehensive review of the Co-operative Societies Act to, among other things, provide the stimulus and the supportive framework for the growth of small and medium-sized farm enterprises. The motion, moved by Senator Norman Grant, also seeks to remove the restriction on legal entities becoming members of cooperatives and provide...

Members of the Senate have expressed delight that the United States of America has officially lifted its designation of the Republic of Cuba as a state sponsor of terror, as the two countries seek to re-establish diplomatic ties. Speaking at the sitting of the Senate on May 29, Leader of Government Business, Senator the Hon. A.J. Nicholson, said the move...

Three Bills, which seek to make the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Jamaica’s final appellate Court, by replacing the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, were tabled in the Upper House on Friday (May 22). The Caribbean Court of Justice Act, the Constitution (Amendment) (Caribbean Court of Justice) Act, and the Judicature (Appellate Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Act, 2012, were tabled by...

Proposed changes to how computer-generated evidence is introduced in court are expected to significantly reduce delays and costs associated with this procedure. The adjustments are contained in the Evidence (Amendment) Bill, 2014, which was passed in the Senate on Friday (May 8) with 10 amendments. The Bill seeks to enhance the efficiency of Jamaica’s justice system, by providing a simpler...

The Administrator-General’s (Amendment) Bill, which aims to speed up the estate administration process in Jamaica, was passed, with two amendments, in the Senate on Friday, April 10. The Bill seeks to amend the Administrator-General’s Act to establish a framework for the Administrator-General (AG) to efficiently administer multi-generational estates and intestate estates (where the owner dies without leaving a valid will)...