Lawmakers to debate budget next week

Elected representatives will return to the House of Assembly Monday to publicly debate the 2014 budget, according to an announcement from the HOA.

The debate typically takes two days, and lawmakers tend to use the time to speak to whichever spending items they feel are most pressing — or to items they feel have been left off the budget.

Premier Dr. Orlando Smith introduced the Appropriations Act — the document that makes the budget law — on Jan. 13 in the House, when he also delivered his annual Budget Address.

He said then that the territory will bring in a projected $301 million in revenue this year. Recurrent expenditure was set to be $246,549,500.

After the Budget Address, legislators began meeting as the Standing Finance Committee. During the annual closed-door sessions, lawmakers meet with department heads, permanent secretaries and others to discuss details of their allocation requests for the year.

 

See the Feb. 6, 2014 edition for full coverage.

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