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{
    "id": 591352,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/591352/?format=api",
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    "content": "the overall functioning of the counties and resources that are shared between the two levels of Government. Therefore, it is important that the Senate is involved in this matter. Traditionally, it would have been only the Senate which would have done this responsibility, but we thought because this function is already being exercised by the National Assembly, we did not want to be divisive; we wanted to say both levels of Houses will play that role. We have also provided for the leadership of the Senate in the Constitution by amending Article 108 to make it clearer that Majority Leader means Majority Leader in both Houses and Minority Leader means Minority Leader in both Houses of Parliament. Madam Temporary Speaker, we have also provided for Administration of Parliament. The way Parliament is currently structured does not respect the responsibilities of the two Houses. The practice all over the world, whether it is in the United States, Australia, is that every Chamber of Parliament has its own independence in terms of hiring staff, expenditure of its resources and how they are going to spend those resources. At the moment, if you have a situation where you have a constitutional Commission whose responsibility is to facilitate functioning of Parliament, but the representation in that institution is good, you will find a situation where a Speaker of one House is the Chair like at the moment, where the Speaker of the National Assembly is the Chair of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). When sitting and presiding over PSC because they are human beings, they are like you and I, their first priority will be the Chamber they are presiding, the people who elected him to sit in that seat and, lastly, the House that he presides over every day. Madam Temporary Speaker, biases will come in whether presumed or actual. There will come a time you will have an erratic Speaker who, perhaps, will have no respect of another House of Parliament. That will lead to frustration of services. If that chamber is also performing a function like the Senate at the moment, deals with county governments, then it will be frustrated. Madam Temporary Speaker, I believe that the organization of our structure at the moment is the reason the Senate is frustrated when it comes to performing and Senators being facilitated to carry out their oversight responsibilities in the counties. That is why the Senate is proposing that we have two Service Commissions; one in charge of the Senate and the other in charge of the National Assembly. The Chair of the Service Commission of the Senate will be the Speaker of the Senate. The Chair of the Service Commission of the National Assembly will be the Speaker of the National Assembly. We have become very careful not to increase the wage bill of this Republic. We were conscious of that fact. That is why we ensured that the membership and the representation, those who are at the moment representing Senate in the PSC, the figure and the numbers of people who are representing Senate in the PSC is just transferred to the new Service Commission. Currently, the staff serving in the Senate under PSC will be transferred to Senate Service Commission (SSC). The staff serving the National Assembly under the currently PSC will move to National Assembly Service Commission (NSC). Madam Temporary Speaker, I want to dispel any possibility and thinking that anyone would argue that there will be an increase on the wage bill or overheads as a result of the split of PSC to the two Service Commissions. I want to tell them that that is The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}