Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697645525106.pdf (Belize)
BELIZE No.23/1/14 SENATE Wednesday, 29th March 2023 9:00 A.M. ---*--- ORDERS OF THE DAY 1.

Prayers.

3.

Announcement by the President.

4.

Bills brought from the House of Representatives.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

General Revenue Appropriation (2023/2024) Bill, 2023.

Customs Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Supplies Control (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Skilled Persons) (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2023.


Senior Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Retired Persons (Incentives) (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

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

Papers.

No.

38/1/14 - Draft Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Fiscal Year 2023/2024.

No.

39/1/14 - Annual Report 2020 – Office of the Supervisor of Insurance and Private Pension, Ministry of Finance.
(Leader of Government Business and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Immigration) 13.

Motions relating to the Business or Sittings of the Senate.

14.

Public Business.

2 A.

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

2.

3.

4.

5.

Caribbean Development Bank – Belize Resilience Programme – B Resilient Loan Motion, 2023.

Caribbean Development Bank Belize - Social Investment Fund III – Additional Loan, Loan Motion 2023.
Official Charities Fund Motion, 2023.

Resolution Approving the Appointment of a Contractor-General, 2023.

Resolution to Support Democratic Taiwan Motion, 2023.

(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 BILLS AND MOTIONS IV BILLS FOR THIRD READING  3 BELIZE No.23/1/14 SENATE Wednesday, 29th March 2023 9:00 A.M. ---*--- NOTICES OF QUESTIONS AND MOTIONS M O T I O N S 1.
Caribbean Development Bank –Belize Resilience Programme – B Resilient Loan Motion, 2023.
WHEREAS, section 3(1) of the Loans (Caribbean Development Bank) Act, Chapter 74 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2003; provides that subject to such conditions as may be agreed between the Government of Belize (“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 to the 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 Bank has offered to lend to the Government the sum of US$5,000,000.
(“the Loan”) from the Bank’s Special Funds Resources; AND WHEREAS, the purpose of the Loan is to provide co-funding to assist the Government in the continued implementation of the Resilient Rural Belize (B-Resilient) Programme, currently financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), that will improve smallholder commercial agricultural production, access to markets and resilience to climate change (referred to as “the Project”); AND WHEREAS, the Loan will be used to co-finance activities under the B- Resilient Project as it relates to infrastructure works for agricultural/rural roads rehabilitation, and engineering and construction related services; AND WHEREAS, the Loan is being offered on the following terms and conditions: (a) (b) (c) US$5 million from 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; Interest at the rate of 0.75% per annum to be paid quarterly on the amount of the Loan disbursed and outstanding from time to time; The Loan shall be fully disbursed by December 31, 2026, or such later date as the Bank may specify in writing; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House, being satisfied that the Project will continue to minimize the impacts of climatic and economic events on smallholder farmers while supporting sustainable market access for their produce, 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 authorizes the Minister of Finance to execute and deliver the said Agreement and all other documents associated therewith.
4 2.

Caribbean Development Bank Belize - Social Investment Fund III – Additional Loan, Loan Motion 2023.
WHEREAS, section 3(1) of the Loans (Caribbean Development Bank) Act, Chapter 74 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2003; provides that subject to such conditions as may be agreed between the Government of Belize (“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, on the 8th June 2017, the Government of Belize entered into a Loan Agreement with the Caribbean Development Bank to provide funding for the Belize Social Investment Fund (BSIF) III, to undertake several projects geared toward providing basic social and economic infrastructure, social services, and organizational strengthening services to poor and vulnerable communities in Belize; AND WHEREAS, on the 17th June 2022, the Government of Belize approached the Bank for an additional loan to be able to meet the shortfall in the financing of approved sub-projects under the 2017 BSIF III Loan Agreement, due to the unexpected significant increases in anticipated costs, thereby affecting the ability to complete the implementation of the remaining sub-projects; AND WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Bank has recently approved an “Additional Loan” to the Government in the sum of US$1,262,400 from the Bank’s Special Funds Resources; AND WHEREAS, the purpose of the Additional Loan will be to remedy the shortfall in funding for the remaining community sub-projects approved under the BSIF III for project implementation; AND WHEREAS, the Additional Loan is being offered on the following terms and conditions: (a) (b) (c) US$1,262,400 from Special Funds Resources (SFR) – to be repaid in eighty (80) equal or approximately equal and
 consecutive quarterly installments commencing three (3) years after the date of the Additional Loan Agreement; Interest at the rate of 0.75% per annum to be paid quarterly on the amount of the Additional Loan portion withdrawn and outstanding from time to time; The Loan shall be fully disbursed by the 31st December 2024, or such later date as the Bank may specify in writing; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House, being satisfied that this Additional Loan for the BSIF III will significantly contribute to the Government’s continued, dedicated efforts to alleviate poverty and to improve the living conditions of its citizens, specifically in the rural communities, 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 authorizes the Minister of Finance to execute and deliver the said Agreement and all other documents associated therewith.
3.

Official Charities Fund Motion, 2023.

BE IT RESOLVED that this 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 2024.

5 4.

Resolution Approving the Appointment of a Contractor-General Motion, 2023.
WHEREAS, section 3(2) of the Contractor-General Act, Chapter 6 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2020, provides that the Contractor-General shall be appointed by the Governor-General acting on the recommendations of both Houses of the National Assembly contained in resolutions passed in that behalf; AND WHEREAS, both Houses of the National Assembly intend to advise the Governor-General to appoint MS. MARIA ARTHURS as Contractor-General for a period of three (3) years with effect from 1st June 2023; AND WHEREAS, MS. MARIA ARTHURS is 38 years of age (d.o.b.
26th July 1984) and falls within the age limit prescribed by the Contractor-General Act; AND WHEREAS, MS. MARIA ARTHURS fulfills the requirements for appointment to the office of Contractor-General as prescribed in the Contractor-General Act; AND WHEREAS, sections 61A (2) (c) and (3) of the Belize Constitution provide that the Contractor-General can only be validly appointed with the prior approval of the Senate; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable Senate, being satisfied that MS. MARIA ARTHURS is a fit and proper person to be appointed as Contractor-General, hereby approves that the said MS. MARIA ARTHURS be appointed as Contractor-General for a period of three (3) years with effect from 1st June 2023.
5.

Resolution to Support Democratic Taiwan Motion, 2023.
WHEREAS, the year 2023 marks the 34th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Belize and the Republic of China (Taiwan); AND WHEREAS, Belize and Taiwan enjoy a close relationship based on the common values of democracy, freedom, and human rights; AND WHEREAS, throughout the 34 years of friendship and alliance, Belize and Taiwan have continuously supported and helped each other and closely cooperated in numerous areas, ranging from diplomatic affairs, infrastructure, medical and public health, agriculture, environmental resilience, information and communication technology, to culture and education; AND WHEREAS, all bilateral cooperation projects between Belize and Taiwan, including road construction, motor vehicle registration and license system, breeding sheep and goat production, urban resilience and disaster prevention, medical imaging system, women empowerment, mandarin teaching and talent cultivation are currently proceeding smoothly; AND WHEREAS, the Honourable John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize, and H.E.
David Kuan-Chou Chien, former Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Belize, signed the Cooperation Agreement Regarding Construction of General Hospital for San Pedro Town, between the Government of Belize and the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), on 11 January 2023, for the health and wellness of the Belizean people; AND WHEREAS, Taiwan is a faithful ally and development partner to Belize, and the generosity and contribution Taiwan made to other countries has shown that Taiwan is 6 an indispensable part of the global community, and Taiwan can play, and has played a critical role in the world; AND WHEREAS, Taiwan shows great courage and resilience in safeguarding its democracy and freedom in the face of provocative military activities from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which pose a serious threat to global security; AND WHEREAS, Belize continuously extends unwavering support to Taiwan in safeguarding its democracy and freedom, as well as the self-determination for Taiwanese people, when Taiwan faces the military, political and economic coercion and the hegemonic threats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC); NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House: Conveys its sincere welcome to H.E.
Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the delegation from Taiwan to visit Belize, to consolidate the diplomatic relations, partnership and friendship between the two countries; Extends its commitment to the strong and healthy diplomatic bond between Belize and Taiwan and the close bilateral cooperation in multiple areas; Reassure that the Governments of Belize and Taiwan will further deepen the diplomatic cooperation through the bilateral and multilateral channels of partnership, especially during Belize’s Presidency Pro-Tempore (PPT) of Central American Integration System (SICA) as Taiwan is an important extra-regional partner of SICA; Reaffirms to stand with the people and the Government of Taiwan in solidarity to secure Taiwan’s democracy, freedom, human rights and self- determination, so as to maintain peace, stability and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and in the region; Calls on the international community to condemn any military threat, and other coercive actions that undermine Taiwan’s sovereign integrity, democracy, freedom, human rights and self-determination; and The House of Representatives expresses its full support of Taiwan’s participation in ALL related international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL); BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to President Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and to the office of the Prime Minister as a tangible token of the friendship expressed herein.
(Leader of Government Business and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Immigration) *****