And though you haven't seen it on the news so far, there were a number of pieces of legislation introduced today. One of them is the Natural Cultural Heritage Preservation Bill. It's the same one we told you about last night - where the government is trying to play catch up - so that it doesn't lose out on a 5.3 million US dollar project from the Taiwanese. The legislation should have been passed a while ago - but it was just done today, and the Minister of Culture took the lead:...
Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education and Culture
"This proposed bill provides NICH through the Institute if Archaeology with the legal mandate of accessing, designating, restoring and managing historic property and landmarks that have historical value and are of cultural significance to the country and the Caribbean region. Under the current NICH act, only manmade structures over 100 years are eligible for designating, restoration and preservation. This is a gap in legislation that has led to the loss of heritage assets. This bill also satisfies one of the outstanding conditions of a Taiwan/ICDF loan agreement so that Belize can continue the execution of the Belize City House of Culture and Rejuvenation Project. Therefore this legislation provides NICH through the Institute of Archaeology with a clear mandate for designating, restoring and preserving historic property and landmarks that may be less than 100 years old."
FM Says Cops Have Full OAS Report
And in the question and answer session of today's meeting - the member for Fort George Said Musa, asked Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington if and when the government will release the full report into the April 2016 shooting of 13 year old Guatemalan Julio Rene Alvarado in the Chiquibul. Elrington said it is a matter for the courts. Here is the back and forth:
A Nod To The Nurses
And finally, tonight, the House meeting did have some good spiritedness. That's because Nurses crowded the gallery as part of Nurses week. They were there to honor a nursing icon and the Speaker of the House, Mrs. Laura Tucker-Longsworth. She said they made her nervous!:
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