Three Bills Passed on Busy Day in the House

The House of Representatives passed three bills on Tuesday (Feb. 23), in keeping with the government’s efforts to step-up the pace of legislation in Parliament.
Two of the Acts were directly related to the management of public bodies. The third Act seeks to indemnify the JUTC through its self-insurance scheme.
The Act to amend the Public Bodies Management and Accountability Act seeks to ensure that all public bodies lay annual corporate plans, including budgets, for the review and approval of both houses of Parliament. The bill also includes the provision that the Minister of Finance must approve any negotiations to borrow money.
The Act to Further Amend the Financial administration and Audit Act, when brought into law, will establish systems and procedures in relation to the operation of bank accounts as well as financial reporting and auditing of public bodies. It will also lay down the reporting procedures for the collection, safekeeping and management of all public monies and the reporting of the loss of public monies and damage to government property.
Both acts seek to effectively streamline all corporate activities, including the financial reporting and management, of all public sector bodies for the regular scrutiny of Parliament, the Minister of Finance and the Auditor General. These bodies include Ministries, Departments, Executive Agencies, Statutory Bodies and limited liability companies owned by government.
After taking the Jamaica Urban Transit Company’s self-insurance scheme, the lower house considered an Act to indemnify the company from the period April 2004 – November 2008 and to exempt it from the provisions of the Third-Party Risks Act.