MCC Bill Gets Senate Nod, But 21 Amendments Are Still Coming 

Senators voted to pass the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Bill today, but not without airing frustration over how the government arrived at this point. Three bills were debated for nearly five hours, with a US-linked deadline looming just ten days out.

The MCA Bill moved through alongside the Education Bill and TVET Bill, all part of the legislative package tied to Belize’s $125 million Millennium Challenge Compact with the United States, a grant meant to overhaul the country’s education and energy sectors ahead of a scheduled launch event.

Lead Government Senator Eamon Courtenay didn’t dispute that the process felt hurried. “It is not a satisfactory state of affairs. I confess that immediately and the request made by the government is unusual and extraordinary,” he said. 

To ease those concerns, Courtenay cited a September 4th letter from Minister Francis Fonseca, promising 21 amendments will go before the House of Representatives at its next sitting. Once debated there, Courtenay said, the full three-bill package returns to the Senate for another round of scrutiny.

Not everyone was satisfied enough to vote yes outright. Union Senator Glenfield Dennison forced a division vote before ultimately abstaining, joined by NGO Senator Janelle Chanona and Business Senator Kevin Herrera. 

All other senators voted in favour of the three bills.