2001 budget to go on floor Dec. 20

Floor leaders of the ruling and the opposition parties agreed on Friday to act on the budget plan for the New Year on Dec. 20. The accord on the agenda put on track the limping 216th extraordinary session of the National Assembly, which has been meeting on a day-to-day basis without having held an opening ceremony.

Under the agreement, the extra sitting is to last 30 days through next Jan. 9, and plenary house deliberations on other bills will follow the action on the budget.

Several pieces of legislation requested by the Grand National Party (GNP) on fiscal health and public fund management will be taken up on Jan. 8-9, while a bill on budget execution and accounts will be carried over to a subsequent extra session in February. The accord also calls for the appointment of a nine-member subcommittee to study the bill.

The parliamentary leaders from the two parties agreed to act next February on a special bill aimed at eliminating governmental intervention in the banking sector. The action will take place after a preliminary examination by the finance-economy committee. The two sides have been at loggerheads on the bill. Other points agreed on by the floor leaders were:

Public hearings on the Hanvit Bank loan scandal will take place Jan. 12-17 and a review of the relevance of public funds will occur on Jan. 16-20; a committee will be set up in the National Assembly to deal with veterans affairs and remuneration; and another committee will be formed to work on the climate change convention.