About 25 new legislations are ready for presentation to Parliament by the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government before the end of the ongoing Third Session of the Fifth Parliament in August, this year.

Key bills include the much-talked-about and controversial Public Health Bill, which contains the Tobacco Control Bill, Companies Bill, Minerals Development Fund Bill, Integrated Aluminum Authority Bill, Maritime Boundary and Delineation Bill, Chartered Institute of Taxation Bill and the Renewable Energy Bill.

The rest are Non-Tax Revenue Bill, Maritime Pollution Bill, Film Development Bill, Enforcement of Foreign Judgment Bill, Colleges of Education Bill, Offshore Petroleum (Health and Safety Bill) and the Public Officers (Code of Conduct) Bill among others.

There are also a number of bills which are scheduled to come before the House for amendment. They include the National Health Insurance Bill, Forestry Commission Bill, Road Traffic Bill, Timber Resources Management Bill, Ghana Maritime Authority Bill and the Ghana Maritime Security Bill.
It also includes Local Government Bill, Ghana Shipping Bill, Ghana Civil Aviation Bill, Public Holidays Bill, and the Export Development and Investment Fund Bill.

Sources close to the leadership of Parliament to BusinessWeek said almost all the bills are ready for presentation, while the MPs too are ready to commence work on them to speed up government business.
Others bills at various stages of discussion in the House, including the Law Reform Commission Bill and the Data Protection Bill which are at the second reading stage, the Health Institutions and Facilities Bill, and the Bio-Safety Bill which are at consideration stage. The Petroleum Commission Bill is at the third reading stage and is likely to be passed this week.

Sixteen bills have also been referred to the various committees by Speaker Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo for consideration and report. These bills include the Electoral Commission (Amendment) Bill, Intestate Succession Bill, Ghana AIDS Commission (Amendment) Bill, the Presidential Transition Bill, State Proceedings (Amendment) Bill and Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill which are all with the Committee on constitutional, legal and parliamentary affairs.

The rest are the Mental Health Bill, Medical Training and Research Bill, Health Coordinating Council Bill, Traditional and Alternative Medicine Bill, General Health Services Bill, and the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Bill, which are also with the Committee On Health.

The Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Bill is currently with the Committee on Mines and Energy for attention the right to information bill is also receiving attention at the joint committee on constitutional, legal and parliamentary affairs and communications.

The Joint Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and Gender and Children is also considering the Property Rights of Spouses? Bill.
About 22 legislative instruments and 37 papers have also been scheduled for laying during this meeting which is expected to last for approximately twelve weeks.

The bills, when presented to the House, will go through the various stages of consideration including first reading, second reading, consideration stage and third reading after which it will be deemed passed. A bill becomes a fully fledged law after it has gone through the various stages in parliament and assented to by the President of the land.