The city’s 33 lawmakers return to work Thursday after the summer recess.
The first item on the agenda to be debated and voted on in the hemicycle will be a 166.7 million pataca budget bill for the Legislative Assembly (AL) next year, according to legislature’s website.
The budget bill has been drafted by the legislature’s four-member executive board.
Customarily, the legislature starts its two-month summer recess on August 16.
Compared to the legislature’s original budget of 148.8 million patacas for this year, the budget bill for next year is up by 12 percent. However, after lawmakers approved a supplementary budget earlier this year, the assembly is authorised to spend 155.8 million patacas this year.
After debating and voting on the legislature’s 2015 budget bill at tomorrow’s plenary meeting, lawmakers who are members of the assembly’s seven legislative committees will elect their presidents and secretaries.
The legislature comprises 14 lawmakers elected by popular vote, 12 lawmakers elected by association representatives and seven government-appointed lawmakers.
They are grouped into seven committees – Committee on Rules and Statutes, the First Standing, Second Standing and Third Standing committees, and three follow-up committees for land and public concession affairs, public finance affairs and public administration affairs. Each committee comprises seven to nine members and most lawmakers are members of two committees.
Legislative Assembly President Ho Iat Seng has said previously that the three standing committees are focused on legislation while the three follow-up committees are focused on the supervision of the public administration and the implementation of specific laws.
The assembly said in a statement on Monday that it will host an Open Day on Saturday, inviting members of the public to visit its building in Praia Grande Bay between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.(macaunews/macaupost)
