British Columbia.

• Author: Plant, Byron
• Position: Legislative Reports

The Legislative Assembly resumed on February 11, 2014 for the prorogation of the first session of the Fortieth Parliament. The second session began in the afternoon with the Speech from the Throne, followed by Budget Day on February 18. In preparation for the spring sitting, the government issued White Papers on proposed amendments to the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, reforms to local government elections; and designing digital services, including the recently introduced BC Services Card.

Committee Activity

Several committees were active during the reporting period. On November 14, the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services released its report on the public consultations on Budget 2014. The Committee received 676 submissions during the five-week consultation period, and made 73 recommendations for the next provincial budget.

The Committee also completed its annual review of the budgets of the eight statutory offices, and issued its report, with recommendations, on December 19.

The Legislative Assembly Management Committee (LAMC) met three times between November and January. During that time, the Committee completed its first public review of the proposed estimates of expenditure for the Legislative Assembly, and agreed to clarify the Members' per diem policy regarding prorating of Members' per diem expenses. LAMC also agreed to a proposal to facilitate Members electronic access to House and Committee documents through iPad technology.

On December 12, LAMC released an annual report of activities covering January 20122013. The next annual report will feature further accountability reporting, and will be published in conjunction with the release of the Legislative Assembly's first audited financial statements.

Accessibility

Several changes...