— Promises to remain engaged with women’s advocates for 15 seatsPresident Pro Tempore of the Senate, Albert Tugbe Chie, has announced the passage of approximately 60 bills, during the 2nd Session of the 54th Legislature. Of the total number of bills passed, 45 consisted of Senate’s engrossed bills, 15 bills that originated from the House of Representatives. During his annual session’s closing statement, Pro Tempore Chie recalled the Senate’s concurrence with the House of Representatives on the passage of the 2019/2020 National Budget of US$526 million, which marked a significant decrease over the 2018/2019 budget. “During the discussions, there was a suggestion to allot 15 seats in the Senate solely for women. During its sitting, “the Senate also passed an amendment to the 2014 Petroleum Exploration and Production Reform Law, to resurrect the upstream petroleum sector and facilitate the holding of a petroleum bill within the next few months.”

Source: Daily Observer October 09, 2019 02:24 UTC