The Rivers State House of Assembly continued its committee deliberations on the 2007 budget last week. The deliberations were also to offer an opportunity for commissioners and heads of parastatals to defend their input in the N179.4 billion appropriation bill. The current actions of the House on the budget are in consonance with order 50 of the standing orders of the House. The order deals with the Appropriation bill and they are shown below.
FINANCIAL PROVISIONS
APPROPRIATION Bill:
(1) During each year there shall be introduced into the House an Appropriation Bill which shall contain the estimated financial requirements for expenditure on revenue account on all the services of the Government for the succeeding financial year. The details these financial requirements for shall be contained in the Estimates which shall be presented at the same time.
(2) In moving the motion for the second reading of the bill the mover shall not be bound by Standing Order 32 (Time limit of Speeches).
(3) After the motion for the second reading of the bill has been made and seconded, the debate thereon shall be adjourned for not less than two days and when resumed shall be confined to the financial and economic state of the State and the Government’s financial policy. Detailed items in the Estimates may not be debated on second reading. Such number of days as shall be determined by the Business Committee shall be alloted for the second reading of the Bill and at the hour appointed for the interruption of business on the last or such allotted days, the Speaker shall put the questions necessary to bring the proceedings on the second reading to a conclusion:
Provided that if the question on second reading be agreed to on a day earlier than the last day so allotted, any day or days thus saved may be added to those allotted, under Rule (6) of this order.
(4) When the bill has been read a second time it shall stand committed to the Appropriation Committee and thereafter to the Committee of the whole House to be called the Committee of Supply to which the Estimates shall also stand referred.
(5) The Speaker or the Deputy Speaker shall preside over each meeting of the Committee of Supply and the delibrations of the Committee shall be public.
(6) There shall be allotted such number of days as the Business Committee may determine for the discussion of the Estimates and the Appropriation Bill in the Committee of Supply.
(7) The clauses of an Appropriation Bill or of a supplementary Appropriation Bill shall stand postponed until after the consideration of any schedule or schedules which there may be to such Bill.
(8) The consideration of the first schedule the Speaker shall call the title of each Head of Expenditure in turn and shall propose the question “that the sum to………….Naira for Head……………stand part of the schedule.
(9) Any Member may move an amendment to reduce by Naira the sum to be allotted for any Head of Expenditure or in respect of any sub-head included in that Head or of any item included in the sub-head.
(10) When several such amendments are proposed to the same Head of Expenditure they shall be called in to which they appear on the Order Paper and amendment shall be disposed of before the next is called, and debate on each amendment shall be confined to the sub-head or item which is sought to be reduced.
