House Discusses, Refers Four Bills

The House of Peoples’ Representatives of the FDRE, in its 3rd regular session of the 3rd year held on 16th of October 2007, discussed four tenure bills and referred them to pertinent standing committees.

The draft proclamation, which the House discussed first was the bill to establish the Agency for Government Houses has become necessary to improve the administration and maintenance of government owned houses as clearly stated in the preamble.

After deliberating in-depth discussions, the House directed the bill to the Infrastructure Affairs Standing Committee for further scrutiny and preparation of a report and a proposal for decision.

Then, the House discussed the bill to repeal the Federal Urban Planning Institute Establishment Proclamation and referred it to the Infrastructure Affairs Standing Committee.

According to article 2 of the bill, “the Federal Urban Planning Institute Establishment Proclamation No. 450/2005 as well as sub-article 7(c) of Article 33 of the Definition of Powers and Duties of the Executive Organs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Proclamation No. 471/2005’’ are hereby repealed.

The bill to provide for the Vehicle Insurance Against Third Party Risks has also been debated by the House and was referred mainly to the Infrastructure Affairs standing Committee to be jointly scrutinized with the Trade and Industry Affairs and the Legal and Administrative Affairs Standing Committees.

The bill has become necessary to establish a system for facilitating the provision of emergency medical treatments to victims of vehicle accidents, and to require owners of vehicles to have third party insurance coverage against third party risks.

Besides, the draft proclamation to ratify the Ethio-Equatorial Guinea Bilateral Trade Agreement has been discussed in the same regular session and was refereed to the Trade and Industry Affairs Standing Committee to be jointly scrutinized with the Foreign, Defense and Security Affairs Standing Committees.

The agreement, the bill of which was directed to the two committees, aims at creating favorable conditions for the establishment and sustained expansion of diversified trade between the two countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefits.

Meantime, member Parties of the House have put forth their suggestions and concerns with regard to the provisions included in the bills and issues to be included in and be deleted from the bills and to be considered by concerned committees.

The 3rd regular session has also endorsed the minutes of the 2nd special session, the 40th and the 41st regular sessions of the 2nd year tenure of the House Provided that the corrections suggested by members to be included after being authenticated against Original audio records.