Plenaries won’t impede budget
Last Tuesday, the chamber approved on third and final reading the bill which seeks to increase excise tax imposed on alcohol and heated tobacco products
To speed up deliberations on the 2020 national budget and have it approved before the turn of the year, the House Committee on Appropriations will conduct hearings even during plenary sessions.
House Majority Leader Leyte Rep. Martin
Romualdez approved the request of the House panel for continuous hearings a day after the chamber received the National Expenditure Program (NEP) that contains details of the proposed P4.1 trillion 2020 budget from the Office of the President.
Romualdez said he had approved the request of House Committee on Appropriations chairman Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab for the holding of budget hearings simultaneous with plenary sessions attended by the majority of members of the chamber.
“This will ensure that plenary deliberations on other pending issues, such as the vital revenue measures, will push through even as we are working round the clock on the budget bill,” Romualdez added.
Tax bills first
House leaders, including Romualdez, earlier vowed to pass the priority revenue measures of the administration before the 2020 budget is passed.
Just last Tuesday, the chamber approved on third and final reading the bill which seeks to increase excise tax imposed on alcohol and heated tobacco products.
Section 71 of the House rules states that congressmen are deemed present in a House session if they are attending committee meetings authorized by the House Committee on Rules, which is currently chaired by Romualdez.
Section 35 of the same rule stated that “only the Committee on Rules and such committees to which it has granted permission, may meet while the House is in plenary session, has adjourned, or is in recess.”
Express lane
“Under the rules, the Committee on Appropriations may continue with their budget hearings while the House is in plenary session,” Romualdez said.
“We are invoking the powers of the Majority Leader, as rules chairman, to enable the House to tackle simultaneously all the vital measures included in the President’s legislative agenda,” he added. Romualdez also bared that House members agreed to move its plenary session from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day to make room for four committee hearings daily.
“We will hold four budget hearings daily at the committee level almost simultaneously. The hearings are scheduled at 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.,” the House leader said. “This will give the Senate ample time to scrutinize the budget approved by the House. Hopefully, we can have a bicameral conference early December, then approve the 2020 national budget before the year ends,” he added. Romualdez said starting 12 September, the plenary sessions will be held even on Thursdays and Fridays to ensure the timely approval of the budget.
Vital revenue measures will push through even as the House works round the clock on the budget bill.