[Bill-Watch] Bill Watch 23/2014 of 19th May [In Parliament this week: Electoral & Wealth Fund Bills, and Investment Agreements]

[Veritas Bill Watch]

BILL WATCH 23/2014
[19th May 2014]
Both Houses Will Sit Again on Tuesday 20th May
Coming up in the National Assembly This Week 
Bills 
Electoral Amendment Bill  Hon Majome, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee
on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is ready to present the
committee's report on the Bill following its round of public hearings.  So
the Second Reading debate may well continue this week, perhaps on Tuesday. 
Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill   The Order Paper for 20th May lists the
Committee Stage of this Bill - the stage during amendments can be made while
the Bill is being considered clause by clause.  The Minister of Finance and
Economic Development, who is the Minister responsible for the Bill, has
given notice that he will propose amendments affecting two of the Bill's
clauses: clause 6 [to reduce the size of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Board
from the originally proposed 16 to 7] and clause 30 [to delete the clause
entirely, because it provides for something already enacted into law by
section 30 of the Finance Act 2014, which was gazetted on 4th April -
replacing section 33 of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation Act,
which deals with the prompt payment of dividends and special dividends to
ZMDC shareholders from the sale of diamonds].  [Soft copy of Minister's
amendments and of Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill available from the addresses at
the end of this bulletin.  Also the Finance Act, 2014]
Trafficking in Persons Bill  Despite the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs
having stressed the Bill's urgency in the Second Reading speech last week,
further debate is expected to be postponed until the Portfolio Committee on
Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services has completed its proposed
public hearings on the Bill and is ready to present its report to the
National Assembly.
Comment:  It is to be hoped that the urgency [see the explanation given
below under Last Week in Parliament] does not result in the Bill's being
passed in its present unsatisfactory form, without stakeholders being
allowed to submit suggested improvements to the portfolio committee at its
proposed public hearings. 
International Investment Agreements  Two agreements for the promotion and
reciprocal protection of investments are listed for approval at the request
of the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.  These are with:
.        the State of Kuwait [signed in 2000]
.        the Russian Federation [signed in 2012]
.        the OPEC Fund for International Development.
In each case the approval of both Houses of Parliament is necessary before
the Government can take the final steps to operationalise the agreement.  
Motions   
Report on the Causes of Road Carnage - this report by the Portfolio
Committee on Transport and  Infrastructure Development is due to be
presented by the committee chairperson.
18 other motions are listed, most of them having been already partly
debated.  Still to be moved by the proposers are:
.        Hon Tshuma's motion calling for Government action on the plight of
the families of Hwange Colliery Company workers owed long-overdue wages
.        Hon Misihairabwi-Mushonga's motion for all public servants to have
duty-free privileges to import vehicles for personal use
.        Hon Zvidzai' motion calling for disaster risk budgeting,
strengthened disaster risk management and the creation of a disaster risk
fund.
Question Time [Wednesday 21st April]  Nineteen questions are listed for
Questions with Notice, which will follow the hour set aside for Questions
without Notice on matters of Government policy.  Questions listed cover such
subjects as: 
Presidential Scholarship Fund  Mr Gonese's question to the Minister of State
for Presidential Affairs, Hon Mutasa, has been on the Order Paper since
early December.  It asks the amount of the Fund's annual budget, why it is
administered outside the relevant Ministry, for statistics of beneficiaries,
disaggregated by province, and whether it would be prudent to avoid capital
outflow by using the fund to upgrade local university infrastructure
instead.
Surveyor-General's Office  Hon Mawere's question asks the Minister of Lands
and Rural Resettlement to outline measures to provide adequate office space
and other resources for this department.
Cotton pricing policy  Hon Wadyajena question for the Minister of
Agriculture, Mechanisation & Irrigation Development raises the need to
ensure sustainable returns to motivate cotton farmers to plant for the
coming season.  Hon Wadyajena has also put down several other questions
raising problems affecting his Gokwe-Nembudziya constituency.
Coming up in the Senate This Week
Bills  
National Prosecuting Authority Bill  This bill has already been passed by
the National Assembly without opposition, and awaits its Second Reading in
the Senate.  
International Investment Agreements  The Senate will be asked to approve the
same three promotion and reciprocal protection of investments agreements are
listed for approval by the National Assembly [see above].
Motions  All thirteen motions on the Order Paper have already been partly
debated.  They include the long-running debate on the President's speech
opening the current session.
Question Time [Thursday 22nd May]  Only three questions are listed so far.
These include questions on: 
Church leaders who abuse congregations - Senator Matiirira asks the Minister
of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to explain regulations on this
subject.
Benefits for new farmers from conservancies - Senator Maluleke asks the
Minister of Environment, Water and Climate for Government's plans for new
farmers to benefit from conservancies around Masvingo and other areas.
Increasing Government revenue - Senator Mupfumira asks the Minister of
Finance and Economic Planning to say whether he will consider reintroduction
of excise duty on fizzy carbonated drinks as a source of revenue.
In Parliament Last Week
National Assembly
Bills  
Trafficking in Persons Bill   A non-adverse PLC report was announced on 13th
May, and next day the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs delivered the Second
Reading Speech, outlining the purpose and content of the Bill.  He took
pains to stress its great  urgency.  At the request of the Opposition Chief
Whip debate was then adjourned to allow MPs to hear from the portfolio
committee concerned, which has not yet held public hearings on the Bill.    
The urgency arises thus:  Zimbabwe needs to be compliant with international
obligations it has assumed as a participant in the Eastern and Southern
African Money Laundering Group and the group's Financial Action Task Force's
activities against money-laundering and combating of international
terrorism.  Since early January this compliance has been achieved by the
current Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) regulations covering the
same ground as the Bill, i.e., SIs 2, 3 and 4/2014.  These SIs will expire
on 2nd July.  The Bill is intended to replace them.  So, if the Bill, which
is intended to replace the SIs, is not enacted into law by 2nd July,
Zimbabwe will then be in breach of its obligations to comply with the agreed
FATF measures against money-laundering by traffickers in persons, drugs
cartels, terrorists, pirates, etc,.  That breach would expose Zimbabwe to a
freeze on receiving or making international payments.  And that would stop
trade between Zimbabwe and the rest of the world, with disastrous results.
[Bill and Second Reading Speech available on Veritas website veritaszim.net
or from  <mailto:veritas at mango.zw> veritas at mango.zw]
Parliamentary Privilege Upheld  The House condemned disciplinary action
taken by Chitungwiza Town Council against employees who had testified about
irregularities in council affairs to the Portfolio Committee on Public
Service, Labour and Social Welfare.  It approved the committee chairperson's
issuance of a certificate of privilege preventing further council action
against the witnesses.
Motions  A motion by Hon Mpariwa to take note of the report of the
Parliamentary delegation to the Conference, in South Africa, of Women
Parliamentarians on Violence against Women and Girls provided an opening for
calls from all sides for Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs to come up with a Bill for stiffer sentences for rape and general
condemnation of the recent mass abduction of schoolgirls in Nigeria.  After
extensive discussion on both Tuesday and Thursday Hon Mpariwa concluded the
debate by withdrawing the motion.
Question Time  The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning was peppered
with questions about the country's financial problems.  The Minister of
Industry and Commerce explained the Industrial Development Policy.
Senate
Bills  The Senate passed the Financial Adjustments Bill through all its
stages, but took the opportunity to advise the Minister of Finance and
Economic Planning to tighten up on implementation of the Public Finance
Management Act.
Motions   Like MPs in the National Assembly, Senators also debated the
report of the Conference of Women Parliamentarians on Violence against Women
and Girls.
Question Time   Senator Chiefs asked questions of the Minister of Transport
and Infrastructural Development why arrangements for their toll-free passage
through road toll points had not been completed.  The Minister of
Agriculture gave lengthy answers to several questions about difficulties at
the tobacco sales floors, Government preparations for the wheat growing
season, and regional efforts to improve African rural infrastructure to
boost agricultural production.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs gave a full
answer to questions asking how the Ministry and the country's ambassadors
are acting to raise funds to implement the Zim Asset policy.
 
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