#LegislativeProcess

[thxnews]

Northern Ireland Budget (No.2) Bill Introduced in House of Commons

  The Northern Ireland Budget (No.2) Bill was presented in the House of Commons today, marking the initiation of the legislative procedure to establish a budget for Northern Ireland for the fiscal year 2023-24. This comes as the Northern Ireland Executive remains absent, necessitating legislative action to secure the budget.  

Stormont Estate, Northern Ireland Parliament Buildings. Photo by William Murphy. Flickr.  

Confirming Departmental Budget Allocations

The bill follows the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP, on April 27. The statement outlined the budget allocations for Northern Ireland's departments for the ongoing financial year. With the introduction of this legislation, the budget allocations will be placed on a statutory foundation. The total resource budget available for Northern Ireland departments will amount to £14.2 billion, accompanied by a capital budget of £2.2 billion. These figures encompass the Northern Ireland Executive block grant and regional rates income.  

Departmental Allocations

Under the proposed budget, the Department of Health is set to receive a total allocation of £7.3 billion, representing a £20 million increase compared to the previous year (2022-23). Similarly, the Department of Infrastructure is slated to receive a total allocation of £523 million, with a £2 million increment from the previous budget.  

Exploring Revenue Generation and Financial Sustainability

In a significant move, the Secretary of State exercised newly provided powers through the Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Act 2023. In a letter addressed to the Permanent Secretaries of all Northern Ireland Civil Service departments earlier this month, the Secretary of State sought information and advice on various measures that could enhance local public revenue or improve the sustainability of public finances in Northern Ireland. The deadline for the first set of information and advice is this week. However, it should be noted that the ultimate decisions to adhere to this budget lie with the Northern Ireland departments.  

Official portrait of Chris Heaton-Harris, Secretary of State. Photo by Richard Townshend. Wikimedia.  

Secretary of State Urges Executive Formation

Expressing disappointment at the ongoing absence of an Executive, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, emphasized the necessity of locally-elected politicians making budget decisions rather than himself or the Northern Ireland Permanent Secretaries. He highlighted how the political deadlock hinders strategic decision-making that is crucial for ensuring the stability of public finances. Despite the challenging circumstances, priority has been given to safeguarding frontline public services. Heaton-Harris stated, "I impress again on the Northern Ireland parties the need to get back into an Executive as soon as possible so that spending decisions flowing from the budget allocations can be taken by the politicians that the local people have elected to do so."   Since 2014, the UK Government has provided approximately £7 billion in additional funding to Northern Ireland, exceeding the Barnett-based block grant.   Sources: THX News & Northern Ireland Office. Read the full article

[ikno-io]

Understand what a filibuster is, its origin, how it works, and its impact on legislative processes. Learn about the positive and negative aspects and explore historical examples and recent calls for reform. read the full article: https://bit.ly/3ZDFDhA #filibuster #politics #legislativeprocess #U.S.Senate #minorityrights read more: what is filibuster

[govpubsfinds]

Before there was Bill the bill, Congressional Quarterly was educating readers about the legislative process. How a Bill Becomes Law tracks the legislative process from introduction to enactment.

How a Bill Becomes Law, in CQ Almanac 1969, at 9, 11 (1970).

[honeymediauk]

House of Lords Private Members' Bills ballot results: December 2019

http://dlvr.it/RLlpnR @honeymediaUK

[123emarket-blog]

Tensions flare in Senate over marijuana-legalization bill

Tensions flare in Senate over marijuana-legalization bill

  The senator who is shepherding the federal bill to legalize cannabis through the Senate is growing impatient with the slow pace of debate, alleging the Conservative are holding up the process for partisan purposes. "There is a sensible way which is that we all sit down and talk about the time frame for the debate and we bring our adult selves to the table," said Independent Senator Tony Dean, who is sponsoring the legislation in the Senate. "That is what I have been arguing for two or three months. Obviously, people prefer the traditional way that will unfold more slowly." He said there is an increasing likelihood the government would use time allocation – also known as closure – at some point to speed up the legislative process. The Trudeau government has yet to impose time allocation in the Senate since taking office, but it is seen as a growing possibility in this case. Bill C-45 is currently stuck at second reading in the Senate, with no timetable for its referral to committee for in-depth review. Mr. Dean, a former senior civil servant in Ontario, said Conservative senators seem intent on using procedural tricks to drag out the debate and irk the Liberal government. "It seems to me, through a political lens, that the Conservatives wouldn't mind seeing time allocation because they could accuse the government of cutting off debate. It really is that silly," he said. "Will it be used? I have no idea, but it may be necessary. If we in the Senate confront delay for the sake of partisan politics and not due diligence, I would support it." The Liberal government wants Bill C-45 to be passed this spring. Once the bill receives royal assent, there will be a transition period of eight to 12 weeks before the market for recreational cannabis officially opens up, with the government aiming for legalization to occur in July. The Conservative Leader in the Senate, Larry Smith, said in the Red Chamber this week that his caucus members will not engage in "obstructionist" tactics but simply want to voice their numerous concerns over legalization. Bill C-45 is currently at second reading, in which senators can speak on the broad principles of the legislation. About 20 Conservative senators have said they want to speak at this stage of the legislative process, but none have done so at this point, even though the bill has been in the chamber since November. Under Senate rules, there is no way to force senators to give their speeches within a specific time period, except for invoking time allocation. "There are many senators who have said they want to participate in the debate, even at the second-reading stage on the principle of the legislation," Conservative MP Claude Carignan said. "Usually there are fewer people who want to speak at this stage, but given the importance of the legislation, there are many people who have something to say." Mr. Carignan suspects the Senate will eventually adopt amendments to Bill C-45, which would have to be approved by the House of Commons. "It's impossible to have this done by May 1. At this point, finishing by the end of June is a real challenge," he said. However, Mr. Dean said the proposed legislation could easily be adopted in coming weeks if everyone "rolls up their sleeves." "It can be done, it should be done. Will it be done? That is a question of the degree to which partisan politics leak into this," Mr. Dean said. Read the full article

[allthecanadianpolitics]

mamapluto replied to your photo “The bill changing the National Anthem, O’Canada to be Gender Neutral...”

What is royal assent?

Its how bills become law in Canada, and in other countries where the Monarchy is the head of state.

The Governor General who represents the British Monarchy has to give the bill ‘royal assent’ before the bill becomes law.

More info here:

https://www.ourcommons.ca/About/Compendium/LegislativeProcess/c_d_royalassentbill-e.htm