By Arret Jatta
A bill aimed at amending the National Assembly Salaries and Pensions Act has been tabled in the National Assembly by nominated Member Kebba Lang Fofana.
The proposed legislation, titled “National Assembly Salaries and Pensions Amendment Bill 2025,” seeks to introduce new provisions for gratuities, potentially impacting the financial benefits for members of the National Assembly and their families.
The bill, if enacted, would “further amend the National Assembly Salaries and Pensions Act to create new classes of beneficiaries of gratuities paid under the Act, and for connected matters.”
According to the proposed legislation, “Where a Member dies during his or her five-year term of office and had completed at least one year of that term, the next-of-kin of that Member shall be paid a gratuity of twenty-five percent of the aggregate emoluments the deceased member had received during his or her membership of the Assembly.”
Additionally, “Where a Member resigns his or her office or is recalled by the electorate…and has completed at least one year of his or her five-year term of office, that Member shall be paid a gratuity of twenty-five percent of the aggregate emoluments he or she had received during his or her membership of the Assembly.”
The bill went on to pray that “Where a person has completed at least one year of the residual term, the person who completed the residual term shall be paid a gratuity of twenty-five percent of the aggregate emoluments the person had received during his or her membership of the Assembly.”
It is envisaged that when the bill is passed it will greatly improve the comfort and convenience of National Assembly Members”.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, confirmed the bill’s progress. “The bill has been read a first time. The next stage will be appointed during the subsequent sessions of the Assembly for the person in charge of the bill to move a motion for the second reading in accordance with Order 66-2”.
The Speaker also noted that the second reading would be scheduled no sooner than one working day after the first reading.
