Parliament of the Bahamas
Encyclopedia
The Parliament of The Bahamas is the bicameral
national parliament
of Commonwealth of The Bahamas
. The parliament is formally made up by the Queen (represented by the Governor-General
), an appointed Senate, and an elected House of Assembly. It currently sits at Nassau
, the national capital.
The structure, functions, and procedures of the parliament are based on the Westminster system
.
, Eleuthera
, and Harbour Island
gathered together as the General Assembly.
The Parliament as presently constituted was established by Chapter 5 of the Constitution of The Bahamas, which came into effect upon the country's independence from British rule
.
.
If the House passes a Money Bill and sends that Bill to the Senate for its consent, and if the Senate does not give its consent within a month after receiving the Bill, the money bill is sent to the Governor-General for assent even though the Senate had not consented to it
The President of the Senate is currently Mrs. Lynn Holowesko from 2007. She succeeded Mrs. Sharon R. Wilson.
Parliament also maintains oversight of the Government's finances through the Public Accounts Committee. Parliament is also the forum where public policy and matters of national importance are debated.
Article 52(2) of the Constitution empowers Parliament to make laws by the passing of a bill (proposed law)
. Most bills are introduced into Parliament by a Government minister, but in principle any parliamentarian
may introduce a bill. A bill must be passed by both the House of Assembly and Senate, and then must be formally assented to by the Governor-General, before it becomes law.
There are currently four main classifications of Bills: public, money, private member, and private bills.
A bill must pass through a series of stages in order to be passed by each chamber, with a vote taken at each stage. The procedure in the House of Assembly is as follows:
Each Bill consists of five main parts: the long title, the short title, the interpretation clause, the main body of the Bill and the objects and reasons. The long title is a description of the nature of the Bill and covers the intent of the Bill. The Short title follows the long title and labels the Bill for identification purposes. The short title sometimes also, contains the commencement clause, which states when the Bill will have legal force. The short title in turn is followed by the interpretation clause, which defines certain words and phrases used in the Bill. The body of the Bill consists of all of the other clauses, which contain the provisions of the Bill, that is, they contain all of the measures that the Bill is enacting. The objects and reasons is the final part of a Bill and it seeks to explain in layman’s terms the purpose of the Bill and the reason why it is necessary.
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
national parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of Commonwealth of The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. The parliament is formally made up by the Queen (represented by the Governor-General
Governor-General of the Bahamas
The Governor General of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas is the viceregal representative of the Bahamian Monarch . As Her Majesty the Queen cannot reside in all of her realms she appoints representatives to carry-out her duties as Queen of the Bahamas...
), an appointed Senate, and an elected House of Assembly. It currently sits at Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, the national capital.
The structure, functions, and procedures of the parliament are based on the Westminster system
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
.
History
The first meeting of a legislative body for the Bahamas took place on 29 September 1729, when twenty-four members representing the islands of New ProvidenceNew Providence
New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...
, Eleuthera
Eleuthera
Eleuthera is an island in The Bahamas, lying 50 miles east of Nassau. It is very long and thin—110 miles long and in places little more than a mile wide. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Eleuthera is approximately 8,000...
, and Harbour Island
Harbour Island
Harbour Island is an island and administrative district in the Bahamas and is located off the northeast coast of Eleuthera Island. The only town on the island is Dunmore Town, named after the governor of the Bahamas from 1786 to 1798, John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, who had a summer residence on...
gathered together as the General Assembly.
The Parliament as presently constituted was established by Chapter 5 of the Constitution of The Bahamas, which came into effect upon the country's independence from British rule
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
House of Assembly
The House of Assembly is the lower chamber. It consists of 41 members (known as Members of Parliament), elected from individual constituencies for five-year terms. As under the Westminster system, the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time. The House of Assembly performs all major legislative functions. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party controlling the majority of the House of Assembly seats. The speaker of the House of Assembly is currently Mr. Alvin SmithAlvin Smith (Bahamian politician)
Alvin Smith is a Bahamian politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Assembly since 2007. He is the MP for the Consistency of North Eleuthera....
.
Senate
The Senate (upper house) consists of 16 members (known as Senators) appointed by the Governor-General. Nine of these senators are selected on the advice of the Prime Minister, four on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, and three on the advice of the Prime Minister after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. The Senate is authorised by the Constitution to pass Bills in the same manner as passed by the House or it can make such amendments to the Bill should it consider it necessary. Those amendments will then have to be approved by the House of Assembly. The Senate may even reject a Bill outrightly that had been passed by the House. However, if the House passes the Bill in two successive sessions, and the Senate rejects the Bill each time, the House of Assembly may send the Bill directly to the Governor-General without the Senate having consented to the Bill.If the House passes a Money Bill and sends that Bill to the Senate for its consent, and if the Senate does not give its consent within a month after receiving the Bill, the money bill is sent to the Governor-General for assent even though the Senate had not consented to it
The President of the Senate is currently Mrs. Lynn Holowesko from 2007. She succeeded Mrs. Sharon R. Wilson.
Legislative functions
Parliament is empowered by Article 52(l) of the Constitution to make laws for the peace, order and good government of The Bahamas. The Constitution also empowers Parliament to:- determine the privileges, immunities, powers, and procedures of both the Senate and the House of Assembly;
- alter or amend any of the provisions of the constitution;
- prescribe the officers who are to constitute the personal staff of the Governor-General;
- prescribe the number of Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal; and
- approve the Government's budget.
Parliament also maintains oversight of the Government's finances through the Public Accounts Committee. Parliament is also the forum where public policy and matters of national importance are debated.
Legislative procedure
Most of the laws passed by Parliament are for the modification or amendment of existing laws.Article 52(2) of the Constitution empowers Parliament to make laws by the passing of a bill (proposed law)
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
. Most bills are introduced into Parliament by a Government minister, but in principle any parliamentarian
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
may introduce a bill. A bill must be passed by both the House of Assembly and Senate, and then must be formally assented to by the Governor-General, before it becomes law.
There are currently four main classifications of Bills: public, money, private member, and private bills.
A bill must pass through a series of stages in order to be passed by each chamber, with a vote taken at each stage. The procedure in the House of Assembly is as follows:
- A bill is formally introduced into Parliament at the first reading; this stage is generally a formality, with the bill's long titleLong titleThe long title is the formal title appearing at the head of a statute or other legislative instrument...
being read out and the presiding officer placing the motionMotion (parliamentary procedure)In parliamentary procedure, a motion is a formal proposal by a member of a deliberative assembly that the assembly take certain action. In a parliament, this is also called a parliamentary motion and includes legislative motions, budgetary motions, supplementary budgetary motions, and petitionary...
without debate. After the first reading, the Speaker orders the bill to be printed; it is then numbered, circulated to members of Parliament, and made available to the public. - At the second reading, the principle of the bill is debated.
- At the committal stage, the entire House of Assembly sits as a Committee of the Whole HouseCommittee of the Whole HouseIn the United Kingdom House of Commons, the Committee of the Whole House is used instead of a standing committee for the clause-by-clause debate of important or contentious bills...
, with the Speaker leaving the chair and the Deputy Speaker presiding as Chairperson. During this stage the bill is examined clause by clause, with detailed amendments considered. After the bill has been dealt with in Committee, the Chairperson formally reports to the Speaker the outcome of the Committee's deliberations, including what amendments have been made. - The third reading is the final stage; the motion made by the Speaker for the third reading is usually agreed to without debate. Once a bill has had its third reading, the Speaker orders the bill passed, and instructs the Chief Clerk to take the bill to the Senate for its consideration.
Each Bill consists of five main parts: the long title, the short title, the interpretation clause, the main body of the Bill and the objects and reasons. The long title is a description of the nature of the Bill and covers the intent of the Bill. The Short title follows the long title and labels the Bill for identification purposes. The short title sometimes also, contains the commencement clause, which states when the Bill will have legal force. The short title in turn is followed by the interpretation clause, which defines certain words and phrases used in the Bill. The body of the Bill consists of all of the other clauses, which contain the provisions of the Bill, that is, they contain all of the measures that the Bill is enacting. The objects and reasons is the final part of a Bill and it seeks to explain in layman’s terms the purpose of the Bill and the reason why it is necessary.