Amendments Made to N.P.O. Bill Following First Reading

Chris Coye

The Non-Profit Organization (N.P.O.) Bill is one among a raft of legislations that the Briceño Administration is pushing through the House and the Senate to comply with recommendations being made by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. Social partners flagged a number of issues with the bill, when it was first tabled on March tenth. Most of those concerns have since been ironed out. Senator Christopher Coye detailed those changes in a presentation that went on for almost an hour. Here are a few of his remarks on the bill and the amendments made.

Chris Coye, Government Senator

“Section three whereas under the bill that came up from the house, the bill did not specify who would be the NPO registrar we have gone a step further in this to specify who the NPO registrar will be once this bill is passed and the Director General of the Financial Service Commission, by virtue of an amendment to the NGO Act recently, is now the registrar for NGOs. The Financial Service Commission has the capacity and the competency to serve as the NPO registrar. The NPO Bill is intended to address not only technical compliance but the ability to meet enforcement effectively. The FATF recommendations, particular recommendation eight is specific to NPOs and provides for a more simplified process for a set of responsibilities as far as AML, CFT, and proliferation financing is concerned. Currently you have NPOs treated essentially in the same way legally as banks and financial institutions.”