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{
    "id": 715979,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/715979/?format=api",
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    "content": "Regarding Seconding Reading, we need to be honest to ourselves, most of our Bills that have come before us; we have proceeded with the Second Reading without the Committee submitting the report. The reports become critical – I have always directed that we cannot move to the Third Reading where we may be considering amendments because that is where everybody in totality informs the debate. When you do Second Reading, you will not make any amendments. That is provided for in Standing Order No.131. So, once the Bill was committed to the House, on First Reading, each Member was seized of the Bill. That was your opportunity to interrogate the Bill; look at it in preparation for Second Reading. The Committee, will on our behalf, carry out public participation and get some ideas, and then, the totality of your contributions, as well as the Committee contributions, will help inform whether you want to alter the content of the Bill. That can only be done in Third Reading. Therefore, my directive is that, I have sought from the Committee and that they should have been ready at 10.00 a.m. I would like to give them another 1 hour so that they can finalise. Before we finish this session, that report should have been tabled on the Floor so that as we break for lunch, we will get an opportunity to read the report. When we go for Third Reading, we can comment. Why do I say so? Part of the reasoning was, if you look at the way we gazetted today’s sitting and compare it with the way we gazetted last time – you keep tying my hands – last time, I was liberal. Representations were made to this House to tie my hands. So, this time I became more specific in terms of those stages of reading the Bill so that the morning is Second Reading and the afternoon is Third Reading. To do otherwise, we will go into the “headwinds” of the kind of issues we are trying to avoid. Previously, when I left it a bit open, I could even vary time; now I cannot even vary time because we must clear Second Reading at 12.30 p.m. We must start the Third Reading in the afternoon sitting. That one, at least, has a bit of time up to midnight which is the end of the day, whichever comes earlier if we finish. So, this is a straight forward matter. We have done it before. I am sure all of us have opinions. I appreciate that the Committee Report, with the benefit of public participation, will make the debate richer, but all is not lost. Before we conclude the business on the Bill, that Committee report will be available for our consideration. In addition, you do not want to deny yourself the opportunity to make your presentations. So, I direct that you proceed on Second Reading. I thank you. Proceed, Sen. Majority Leader. What is it, Sen. Ndiema?"
}