FATCA report laid in Senate

The House of Representatives will sit from 2.30 pm on Monday to debate a motion to adopt this report. After it is approved, the House will debate the Bill.

When he laid the report in the House last Friday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said, “We leave the report open for the signatures of the Opposition.” Imbert is also the chairman of this JSC.

The other members are Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie, Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen, and Independent Senators Hugh Russell Ian Roach and Taurel Shrikissoon.

The Bill requires a three-fifths majority for passage in both Houses of Parliament.

This equates to 25 votes in the House and 19 votes in the Senate. In the House, this means at least two of the 18 Opposition MPs must vote with the 23 Government MPs for the Bill to pass.

In the Senate, Government needs four votes from either the nine Independent senators or six Opposition senators to add to its 15 votes to pass the Bill.

Last year, the Opposition walked out of debate on the Bill twice and boycotted the debate on another occasion. On January 6, Government bowed to the Opposition’s request to send the Bill to a JSC. Last week, the Parliament issued a statement inviting the public to comment on the Bill.

On Tuesday, the Senate also approved the names of senators to sit on the JSCs established to deliberate on the Gambling Bill and the Insurance Bill. The former JSC comprises Imbert, Al-Rawi, Young, La Brea MP Nicole Olivierre, Chaguanas West MP Ganga Singh, Couva South MP Rudy Indarsingh, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, Coppin, Government Senator Foster Cummings, Opposition Senator Wade Mark, and Independent Senator Melissa Ramkissoon.

The membership of the latter JSC consists of Imbert, Al-Rawi, Public Utilities Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, Portof- Spain South MP Marlene McDonald, Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee, and Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan. Both committees must report to Parliament by March 17.