Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697643536078.pdf (Belize)
BELIZE No.6/1/14 SENATE Wednesday, 28th April 2021 9:00 A.M. ---*--- ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

2.

3.

4.

Prayers.

Oath of Allegiance or Affirmation.

Announcements by the President.

Bills brought from the House of Representatives.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

General Revenue Appropriation (2021/2022) Bill, 2021.

Time Limit for Judicial Decisions Bill, 2021.

Belize Constitution (Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Land Utilization (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
Court of Appeal (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Court of Appeal Decisions (Validation) Bill, 2021.

Public Health (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2021.

(Leader of Government Business and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration) 6.

Papers.

4/1/14 - Draft Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Fiscal Year 2021/2022.

5/1/14 - The Social Investment Fund of Belize – Financial Statements for the Years Ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 and Independent Auditors’ Report.
6/1/14 - The Twentieth Annual Report of the Ombudsman of Belize for the Year Ending 2020.

7/1/14 - City and Town Councils Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Fiscal Year 2021/2022.

8/1/14 - Development Finance Corporation – Annual Report for the Year 2019.

(Leader of Government Business and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration) 13.

Motions relating to the Business or Sittings of the Senate.

2 14.

Public Business.

A.


GOVERNMENT BUSINESS I MOTIONS (For Text of Motions see Notice Papers attached) 1.

2.

Inter-American Development Bank - Program to Support the Health Sector to Contain and Control Coronavirus and to Mitigate its effect on Service Provision (US$5.0 Million) Loan Motion, 2021.

Caribbean Development Bank – Philip Goldson Highway and Remate Bypass Upgrading Project (US$34,300,000.00) Loan Motion, 2021.

3.

Official Charities Fund Motion, 2021.

4.


Motion to Nominate Members to the Joint Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, 2021.

(Leader of Government Business and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration) II BILLS FOR SECOND READING III COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE SENATE ON MOTION AND BILLS IV BILLS FOR THIRD READING  3 BELIZE No.6/1/14 SENATE Wednesday, 28th April 2021 9:00 A.M. ---*--- NOTICES OF QUESTIONS AND MOTIONS M O T I O N S 1.
Inter-American Development Bank - Program to Support the Health Sector to Contain and Control Coronavirus and to Mitigate its effect on Service Provision (US$5.0 Million) Loan Motion, 2021.
WHEREAS, Belize, as a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (the “Bank”), is eligible for development assistance in the form of loans, grants, and technical assistance from the Bank on such terms and conditions as may be agreed between Belize and the Bank from time to time; AND WHEREAS, the Government of Belize has approached the Bank for financial assistance for a program to contribute to the reduction of the morbidity and mortality in Belize caused by COVID-19, and to mitigate other indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; AND WHEREAS, the Program will consist of two components, as follows: (1) (2) Ensuring timely vaccine availability by increasing and facilitating access to vaccines: this component will finance, through the issuance of a sovereign credit guarantee, the purchase of 238,800 Covid-19 vaccine doses under the signed commitment agreement with the GAVI Alliance through the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility; and Facilitating vaccine accessibility: this component will finance investments for the National Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan, involving activities to strengthen logistics of conservation (storage and cold chain management), distribution and deployment of vaccines, purchasing of required inputs to ensure vaccine delivery to health service sites and vaccine administration; and preparing and implementing a communication campaign regarding COVID-19 and the vaccination effort in Belize; AND WHEREAS, the proposed program will be financed through an IDB direct investment loan to the Government of Belize in the sum of US$2,862,740 and an IDB sovereign guarantee issued on behalf of the Government of Belize in the sum of US$2,137,260; AND WHEREAS, any claim to the sovereign guarantee and payment of said claim by the IDB could be reimbursed by the Government of Belize to the IDB for up to the remaining approved period of the sovereign guarantee, with repayment terms similar to that of an IDB investment loan, bringing the total loan facility to US$5,000,000; 4 AND WHEREAS, the
 execution of the program shall be carried out by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, acting as the Executing Agency; AND WHEREAS, the Bank has offered financing of up to US$5,000,000 from its Ordinary Capital Resources for the said Program, under the following terms and conditions: Loan Principal Amount: Disbursement Schedule: Loan Term: Repayment Period: Purpose: Rate of Interest: Credit Fee: Guarantee Fee: Stand By Fee: US$5,000,000 (Comprised of US$2,862,740 under the flexible financing facility and US$2,137,260 under the flexible credit guarantee instrument); Over a period of three (3) years from the effective date of the Loan Contract for the Investment Loan and one (1) year from the effective date of the Sovereign Guarantee Contract; Twenty five (25) Years inclusive of a sixty six (66) month grace period; To be repaid in 39, approximately equal, semi-annual and consecutive installments of about US$128,205.13; To support the participation of Belize in the COVAX mechanism to facilitate Belize’s access to safe and effective doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and to strengthen the logistics, supply chain management, and application for and of the vaccine; Interest will be charged, on the daily outstanding balance of the investment loan, as per the LIBOR-Based Interest Rate, plus the applicable lending spread for the Bank’s ordinary capital loans; A Credit Fee will be charged on the undisbursed balance of the investment loan, at a percentage to be established by
 the Bank, on a periodic basis, not exceeding 0.75% per annum; A Guarantee fee will be charged on the Callable Guarantee amount using the variable lending spread applicable to sovereign guaranteed loans; A Stand By Fee will be charged on the Non- Callable Guarantee amount, at a percentage to be established by the Bank, on a periodic basis, not exceeding 0.75% per annum; AND WHEREAS, under the provisions of section 7 (2) of the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act, 2005, the Government of Belize is required to
 obtain the prior authorisation of the National Assembly, by way of a Resolution, for such a borrowing; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House, being satisfied that the Loan proceeds would significantly assist the Government of Belize in its continued efforts to interrupt the transmission chain of COVID-19 in the country and fight the pandemic, approve and confirm that the Government may enter into a Loan Contract 5 and a Sovereign Counter-Guarantee Agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank on the terms and conditions set out above, and further authorise the Minister of Finance to execute and deliver the said Contracts and all other documents associated therewith.
2.

Caribbean Development Bank – Philip Goldson Highway and Remate Bypass Upgrading Project (US$34,300,000.00) Loan Motion, 2021.
WHEREAS, section 3(1) of the Loans (Caribbean Development Bank) Act, Chapter 74 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 20011, provides that subject to such conditions as may be agreed between the Government and the Caribbean Development Bank (“the Bank”), the Government may borrow from the Bank from time to time such sums as may be required by the Government; AND WHEREAS, section 3(2) of the said Act further provides that no agreement in respect of sums borrowed under the powers conferred by section 3(1) shall be executed unless the terms and conditions thereof have been first approved by a Resolution of the House of Representatives to that effect; AND WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Bank has recently approved a Loan to the Government of Belize in the sum of US$34,300,000; AND WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Bank has recently approved a Grant to the Government of Belize of an amount not exceeding the equivalent of US$18,675,450 from CDB, acting as Administrator of the UK Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (CIF) Grant, to assist in financing the Project; AND WHEREAS, the purpose of the Loan is to provide assistance in financing major road rehabilitation and upgrade work to approximately 125km of roadway of the Philip Goldson Highway and the Remate Bypass.
And whereas this Road Upgrading Project consist of the following components: (i) Project Preparation Assistance including a consultancy for the preparation of a feasibility study and detailed designs, undertaken with grant funding from UKCIF; (ii) Land Acquisition (ongoing) of approximately 6.9 hectares of land by Government for road realignment and widening; (iii) Major and minor works for road rehabilitation and upgrade work to approximately 125 km of roadway to be undertaken in four lots; (iv) Engineering and Construction Related Services for the construction supervision of major works and for the design and construction supervision of minor works associated with the creation of safe school zones; (v) Other Project Support Services targeting the communities along the project corridor; (vi) Project Management including the current Project Execution Unit (PEU), additional personnel/consultants to supplement the PEU, two project management vehicles, and Furniture and equipment for the PEU; AND WHEREAS, the expected outcomes of the Project are: increased safety, accessibility, efficiency, and resilience of PGH Miles 24.5 to 92, and the Remate Bypass; and improved capacity for informed decision making for livelihood enhancement along PGH and the Remate Bypass; AND WHEREAS, the entire Project is estimated to cost some US$59.8 million including some US$8.8 million in Counterpart Financing; AND WHEREAS, the Bank has offered to lend to the Government the sum of US$34,300,000 (“the Loan”) to finance the Project on the
 following terms and conditions: Ordinary Capital Resources Portion (a) US $21,300,000 Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR) – to be repaid in forty-eight (48) equal or approximately equal and consecutive quarterly installments commencing five (5) years after the date of the Loan Agreement; 6 (b) (c) Interest at the rate of 3.75% (variable) per annum to be paid quarterly on the outstanding OCR portion of the loan; A Commitment Fee of 1% to be paid quarterly on the un- withdrawn portion of the loan from time to
 time, to accrue from the sixtieth (60th) day after the date of the Loan Agreement; Special Funds Resources Portion (a) US $13,000,000 Special Funds Resources (SFR) – to be repaid in eighty (80) equal or approximately equal and consecutive quarterly installments commencing five (5) years after the date of the Loan Agreement; (b) Interest at the rate of 1% per annum to be paid quarterly on the outstanding SFR portion of the loan; The Loan shall be fully disbursed by December 31, 2024, or such later date as the Bank may specify in writing; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House, being satisfied that the Loan proceeds would significantly assist the Government of Belize in its endeavor to increase safety, accessibility, efficiency, and resilience of PGH Miles 24.5 to 92, and the Remate Bypass; and improve capacity for informed decision making for livelihood enhancement along PGH and the Remate Bypass, approves and confirms that the Government may enter into a Loan Agreement with the Caribbean Development Bank on the terms and conditions set out above, and further authorises the Minister of Finance to execute and deliver the said Agreement and all other documents associated therewith.
3.

Official Charities Fund Motion, 2021.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT this Honourable House approves the expenditure of $2,385,089 from the Official Charities Fund as detailed in Appendix A of the Draft Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year ending 31st March 2022.

4.

Motion to Nominate Members to the Joint Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, 2021.
WHEREAS, on 9th April 2021, the House of Representatives approved an amendment to its Standing Orders to constitute a Joint Public Accounts Committee; AND WHEREAS, section 73(A) of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives provides that the Joint Public Accounts Committee shall consist of nine Members as follows: (a) six Members nominated by a Committee of Selection to consist of– (i) four Members who support the Government; and (ii) two Members who do not support the Government (unless there are no Members, or insufficient Members, of the House of Representatives who do not support the Government); and (b) three Members nominated by the President of the Senate from among the social partner Members of the Senate; AND WHEREAS, section 71(1) of the Standing Orders of the Senate provides that the Senate may for the purpose of any Select Committee appoint not more than six Members to sit with Members of the House of Representatives as a Joint Select Committee; 7 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate nominates Senator Kevin Herrera, Senator Elena Smith and Senator Osmany Salas to be the social partner Members in the Joint Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives.
(Leader of Government Business and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration) 