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The Senate on Friday (Oct. 20) passed the Electoral Commission (Interim) Act 2006, clearing the way for the establishment of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica. Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Senator A.J. Nicholson, who piloted the Bill through the Upper House, explained that in addition to conducting general elections, by-elections or referenda, the Commission would be responsible for compiling...

Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) Chairman, Professor Errol Miller, has urged the Senate to move quickly to pass the Interim Electoral Reform Act, which was crucial for the establishment of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica. "We don't understand any delay in dealing with the matter," he said, at a press conference held yesterday (Oct. 18), at the EAC's head office on...

A Bill to amend the Legal Aid Act was unanimously passed in the Senate yesterday (October 6). The Bill seeks to amend the Legal Aid Act to avail legal aid to witnesses of a person who is charged with offences, including those categorized as excepted, and who has raised the defence of an alibi. Leader of Government Business in the...

Former Police Commissioner, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, today (September 29), took the Oath of Allegiance in the Senate to become the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party's newest Senator. Senator MacMillan, who between 1993 and 1996 headed the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), replaces former Opposition Senator, Norman Horne, who resigned recently. Welcoming Senator MacMillan to the Upper House, Leader of Opposition Business, Senator...

Debate on a Bill to amend the Financial Services Commission (FSC) Act, to validate the actions of the agency, began in the Senate on July 21, but was suspended to accommodate the Opposition's request to view a schedule of the actions of the FSC that were being called upon to be validated by the government. The amendment being made to...

A Bill to establish the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other health professions was approved by the Senate on July 21. Minister of State in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Senator Noel Monteith, who piloted the Bill, said the need for a regional accreditation body came about after the United Kingdom government confirmed its intention to...

The Pensions (Superannuation Funds and Retirement Schemes) Act was passed in the Senate last Friday (March 17), to provide a regulatory framework for the management of superannuation and retirement schemes and give the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the authority to supervise trustees and other persons involved in the management or operation of these funds. In his contribution to the debate,...

The Senate, on Thursday (March 9), passed amendments to the Broadcasting and Radio Re-Diffusion Act, to expand the categories of licences granted by the government to include special subscriber television service, independent programme provider (subscription only) and other independent providers. The Bill will also empower the Information Minister to approve licences accordingly. Piloting the Bill, Leader of Government Business and...

The United States Senate on Tuesday (February 14), unanimously approved a Bill authored by Congresswoman, Barbara Lee (D-Oakland, CA), to designate June as Caribbean American Heritage month in the USA. The Bill acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of Caribbean-Americans to the United States since the inception of the country. "Establishing a Caribbean American Heritage month will help pay tribute to...

The Senate on Friday (Dec.16) passed a Bill amending the Pensions (Prime Minister Act) to provide enhanced benefits for retired Prime Ministers and their surviving spouses or children. The adjusted provision serves to ratify a 1992 Cabinet decision, which permitted the payment of specific allowances to the surviving spouses of Prime Ministers and former Prime Ministers, even though the necessary...

The Senate last Friday (Dec. 9) approved a motion calling on Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, to urgently conclude the ongoing investigations into the operations of the sugar industry and arrange for assistance to the sector to prevent the further loss of foreign exchange to the economy. The private members' motion, which was laid by Leader of Opposition...

A Bill to amend the Assets Tax Specified Bodies Act, to give Ministerial powers to vary the rate of asset tax payable annually, was passed in the Senate last Friday (Nov.25). Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman, who piloted the Bill, said the amendments would enable the Minister, by order and subject to affirmative resolution, to vary the rate of asset...