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PARLIAMENT OF SINT MAARTEN 2 2013 - 2014 ANNUAL REPORT PARLIAMENT OF SINT MAARTEN 2013 - 2014 ANNUAL REPORT 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 1 Introduction 2 Composition of Parliament Support of Parliament Logo of Parliament Financial overview Parliamentary Year in review 6 Parliament meetings of the year 19 Public Meetings Central Committee Meetings Permanent Committee Meetings Parliament meetings attendance lists 49 Public Meetings Central Committee Meetings Permanent Committee Meetings Facts & Figures 55 List of Permanent committees of Parliament 72 List of Standing committees of Parlatino 73 2014 Meetings Calendar 74 PARLIAMENT OF SINT MAARTEN 4 2013 - 2014 ANNUAL REPORT CORAMopeNly IN presePOPULONCE OF THE people PARLIAMENT OF SINT MAARTEN 2013 - 2014 ANNUAL REPORT 1 FOREWORD Dear Colleagues, Honorable Members of Parliament, I am pleased to present the Annual Report of Parliament for the period 2013-2014. In the first half of 2013 a change of the Executive branch of government took place effectively June 14, 2013 when a new coalition government was sworn in. As a consequence of the new composition of Government a majority in Parliament elected a new President of Parliament on June 24, 2013. This Parliamentary year recorded several highlights, including: • The historic visit to Parliament of His Majesty King Willem Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Maxima; • The hosting of three Committee meetings of the Parliament of Latin America and the Caribbean (Parlatino); • The establishment of the President of Parliament award; • The hosting of Tripartite meeting. Additionally, the Rules of Order of Parliament were amended and approved on April 14, 2014 and went into effect on June 1, 2014. In an on- going effort to provide Members of Parliament and personnel of the Secretariat with necessary information to enhance performance, a Master Class on Public Finances organized by the General Audit Chamber on October 3, 2013, as well as a training funded by USONA and given by Hanze Legal Consultancy on August 7, 13, 14 and 15, 2014 concerning the functioning of Parliament, the Constitution and the Kingdom Charter were held. It is our objective to provide these trainings to the new Members of Parliament and support staff as soon as the 2nd Parliament for Country Sint Maarten is sworn in. We will continue with inviting all schools and the public to visit the House of Parliament, in our effort to familiarize our youth and citizens with this new institution of Governance. Sint Maarten’s Parliament would not be able to achieve its objectives without true commitment and dedication of a trained and motivated staff. We look forward to more creativity and consistency in the execution of our tasks. I sincerely hope that the next Parliamentary year will be even more productive than the year before. As we move forward with dedication and a sense of purpose to work on behalf of those to whom we are elected and appointed to SERVE , The People of Sint Maarten. Thank you. Hon. drs. Gracita R. Arrindell President of Parliament PARLIAMENT OF SINT MAARTEN 2 2013 - 2014 ANNUAL REPORT INTRODUCTION PARLIAMENT OF SINT MAARTEN tasks And Committees of • Committee of Petitions; ParliameNT • Committee of Housing, Spatial Planning, The Parliament of Sint Maarten is the highest Environment and Infrastructure; legislative body of the country and according • Committee of Justice; to article 44 of the Constitution it represents • Committee of finance; the entire population of Sint Maarten. The • Committee of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Parliament currently consists of 15 members who Transport and Telecommunication; are elected for a four-year period. • Committee of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs; According to article 46 of the Constitution the • Committee of Health Care, Social Parliamentary year commences with a public Development and Labor; session on the second Tuesday of September. • Committee of Kingdom Affairs During this meeting, the Governor delivers a and Interparliamentary Relations; speech laying out the policies of the government • Committee of Country’s Expenditures; for the coming year. • Ad Hoc Committee for the Preparation of the Construction of the New Building for Parliament elects a President and Vice- Parliament. Presidents from their own number. Together they form the Presidium. If the President is not The Seniorenconvent, comprising of the available, the Presidency shall be taken over by President and faction leaders of the parties one of the Vice-Presidents. represented in Parliament according to article 12 of the Rules of Order, plays a key role in The main tasks of the President are: the functioning of Parliament. In this setting often political issues are discussed in order to • supervising the activities of Parliament and determine each faction’s standpoint before they the Presidium; go to a public meeting. • ensuring that the Rules of order are adhered to; The powers of Parliament are: • maintaining order during and the • co-legislator adjourning of deliberations (article 82 of the Constitution); • executing decisions taken by Parliament • the right of initiative and; (article 85 of the Constitution); • representing Parliament; • the right of amendment (article 86 of the Constitution); The Parliament has Rules of Order that regulate • exercise control over amongst others the procedure of meetings. government’s policies; Meetings of Parliament are public unless it is • the right to ask questions considered necessary, or it is requested by four (article 62 of the Constitution); members, to hold the meeting behind closed • the right of interpellation doors. According to article 21 of the Rules of (article 63 of the Constitution); Order. Parliament consists of various permanent • the right of inquiry and special committees. Currently there are 11 (article 64 of the Constitution); committees: • the right to approve and amend the budget • Central Committee; (article 100 of the Constitution); PARLIAMENT OF SINT MAARTEN 2013 - 2014 ANNUAL REPORT 3 CompositioN OF ParliameNT At present the Parliament of Sint Maarten consists of seven factions: the faction of the United Peoples Party (5), the faction of the National Alliance (4), the faction of the Democratic Party (2), the faction of Independent Member of Parliament Patrick G. Illidge (1), the faction of Independent Member of Parliament Frans G. Richardson (1), the faction of Independent Member of Parliament Romain J. Laville (1) and the faction of Independent Member of Parliament Lloyd J. Richardson (1). As of June 24, 2013 the Hon. drs. Gracita R. Arrindell is the President of Parliament. Member of Parliament the Hon. R.J. Laville is the 1st Vice-President and Member of Parliament the Hon. P.L. de Weever is the 2nd Vice-President of Parliament. Support OF ParliameNT The Parliament has a secretariat at its disposal. The core tasks of the secretariat is to give administrive support, procedural and legal advice to the President of Parliament, the Members of Parliament and Parliament as a whole. One of the most crucial tasks of the secretariat is the preparation of the meetings. The public Parliament meetings are carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV--Channel 120, via Pearl Radio fM 98.1, via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and also via www.sxmparliament.org. To achieve these principal tasks the secretariat is headed by the Secretary General. As of May 10, 2014 the Parliament of Sint Maarten has a new Secretary General, Ms. nancy R. Joubert, LLM and two acting Secretary Generals, mr. Van Dyke A. Bell, and Mrs. Ann A. Groen- Gumbs, LLM. Furthermore the Secretary General is assisted by an Advisor, mr. lic. Jozef d. Semeleer. The administrative staff in the secretariat totals 8. It should also be noted that the factions in Parliament are supported by their own faction staff. At present there are 19 faction staff members employed with the different factions. Logo OF ParliameNT PARLIAMENT OF SINT MAARTEN 4 2013 - 2014 ANNUAL REPORT FINANCIAL OVERVIEW CASH FLOW STATEMENT for the budget year 2013 Parliament had a total amount of nafl. 10.139.595 at its disposal, which included both the costs of Parliament (budget post 2020) as well as the costs of the secretariat (budget post 2030). Parliament’s actual expenses totaled nafl. 10.708.074 in the budget year 2013, 568.479 guilders more than budgeted. It should be noted that this overdraft is caused by expenses that have been booked on budget posts for which Parliament did not have any amounts budgeted. These expenses included the salaries and other related costs of the Members of Parliament and their faction staff (40.92%), costs of travel for the Members of Parliament ( 6.63%), representation costs (1.85%), salaries and other related costs of the staff of the secretariat (21.84%) and other expenses (28.76%). The category “other” included amongst others gas for vehicles, office, kitchen and cleaning supplies, obligations deriving from contracts with third parties, books and subscriptions, uniforms for the staff of the secretariat, legal and other advice, courses and training, membership and other dues etc. In accordance with article 35 sub a of the Compatibility ordinance and article 17, paragraph 1 of the Rules of Order of Parliament the draft budget of Parliament for the budget year 2014 was submitted to the Minister of Finance on April 25, 2013 (UV/100/2012-2013). The draft budget of Parliament was deliberated and accepted in the Presidium on April 22, 2013 and in the Seniorenconvent on April 23, 2013. The Ordinance establishing the budget for Country Sint Maarten for the budget year 2014 was adopted on January 16, 2014. for the budget year 2014 a budgeted amount of nafl. 10.265.437 was approved for Parliament. The increase of approximately nafl. 125.842 compared to budget year 2013 is due to the fact that 2014 is an election year. With this in mind, provisions were made in case one or more Members are not re-elected.