NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WINDS DOWN IN A BILL-PASSING FRENZY

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WINDS DOWN IN A BILL-PASSING FRENZY

• 27 March 2024
• Parliament
• SA Legal Academy

In anticipation of rising on 28 March 2024 for the general elections and their associated – inevitably prolonged – pre-election parliamentary constituency period, the National Assembly is processing Bills at an astonishing pace. On 26 March 2024 alone during a five-hour sitting, the House passed seven Bills that have since been sent to the NCOP for concurrence:

• the National Nuclear Regulator Amendment Bill’s ‘B’ version (aligning the Act with International Atomic Energy Agency best practices)
• the South African National Water Resources Infrastructure SOC Limited Bill’s ‘B’ version (separating Department of Water & Sanitation policy development and regulatory responsibilities from its infrastructure management, development and implementation responsibilities)
• the Division of Revenue Bill (providing for the 2024/25 equitable division of revenue raised nationally among the national, provincial and local spheres of government)
• the Second Adjustments Appropriation (2023/24 financial year) Bill (providing for additional appropriations by Parliament of money from the National Revenue Fund for the requirements of the state in the 2023/24 financial year)
• the Gold & Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account Defrayal Amendment Bill (giving effect to an agreement between National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank on a gold and foreign exchange contingency reserve account settlement framework)
• the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport Amendment Bill’s ‘B’ version (unavailable*) (aligning the Act with World Anti-Doping Agency code requirements), and
• the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill’s ‘B’ version (giving practical effect to recommendations in the Presidential High Level Review Panel on State Security report).

*Please note: these changes to the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport Amendment Bill will be reflected in its ‘B’ version, as passed by the House.

On 27 March 2024, the National Assembly is expected to pass two more Bills:

• the Expropriation Bill’s ‘D’ version (reflecting changes proposed by the NCOP and endorsed by the National Assembly committee concerned; and providing a common framework for expropriation processes and procedures, including expropriation with nil compensation in specific circumstances), and
• the Pension Funds Amendment Bill’s ‘B’ version (unavailable) (providing for the tax treatment of the two-pot retirement savings system introduced by the Revenue Laws Amendment Bill, which is now awaiting the President’s signature).

Once passed, the Pension Funds Amendment Bill will be sent to the NCOP for concurrence, while the Expropriation Bill will be sent to the President for signature.

• parliamentary papers listing Bills passed on 26 March 2024
• National Assembly order paper for 27 March 2024, listing Bills likely to be passed
• updated parliamentary programme

Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch

Follow us on X @SALegalAcademy (you can also join us on LinkedIn and Facebook)

0 COMMENTS

LEAVE A COMMENT