NCOP PASSES SIX MORE BILLS (FIVE READY TO LEAVE PARLIAMENT)

NCOP PASSES SIX MORE BILLS (FIVE READY TO LEAVE PARLIAMENT)

• 16 May 2024
• Parliament
• SA Legal Academy

Please note: Parliamentary papers and a media statement have since confirmed the status of Bills in ths report. The NCOP plenary minutes reflect voting patterns.

During the NCOP’s final pre-elections sitting, six more Bills were passed – one only by the skin of its teeth.

When the time came to vote on the Plant Health (Phytosanitary) Bill, no mandates had been received from the Eastern Cape, Free State, KZN and Western Cape.

In fact, no mandate was received from the Free State Legislature on any of the section 76 Bills considered. Apparently, the legislature had already risen for the elections by the time it was approached for a position by each NCOP committee concerned.

Against that backdrop, the House passed the following section 76 Bills:

• the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill’s ‘B’ version (which is now ready to leave Parliament) (the Bill provides for the establishment, duties, powers and functions of an independent transmission system operator)
• the Plant Health (Phytosanitary) Bill’s ‘B’ version (which was unavailable at the time of writing) (the Bill seeks to align phytosanitary legislation with international obligations and standards)
• the South African National Water Resources Infrastructure SOC Ltd Bill’s ‘B’ version (which is now ready to leave Parliament) (the Bill separates the department’s policy development and regulatory responsibilities from its infrastructure management, development and implementation responsibilities by creating a new state-owned entity)
• the Marine Pollution (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Amendment Bill (which is now ready to leave Parliament) (the Bill incorporates new International Maritime Authority annexures in Act), and
• the Transport Appeal Tribunal Amendment Bill’s ‘D’ version (which will need to be sent to the post-elections National Assembly for concurrence) (the Bill seeks to align the Act with recent developments and addresses various implementation issues).

The NCOP also passed the following controversial section 76 Bill:

• the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill’s ‘B’ version (which is now ready to leave Parliament) (the Bill seeks to give practical effect to recommendations in the Presidential High Level Review Panel on State Security Agency report)

Links to parliamentary papers confirming the status of these Bills will be added to this report once they become available.

• NCOP (YouTube, 4:10:50) (final pre-elections sitting)

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