Parliament will prioritise the 2027 Budget, a series of constitutional amendment bills and the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill during its 28-day sitting, Majority Leader James Agalga has announced.
The House was adjourned indefinitely on September 29, 2026, after the Minority’s motion for a bipartisan inquiry into major narcotics seizures was rejected.
It resumed on Tuesday, November 3, for the Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the resumption, Mr Agalga said the limited number of sitting days would require the House to focus on government business and key legislative matters.
He disclosed that the Constitutional Review Committee had completed its work, paving the way for several constitutional amendment bills to be introduced during the meeting.
“Within this window, quite a number of constitutional amendment bills would be laid. When they are laid, some of the provisions that we may be seeking to amend are not entrenched. So, we would get very busy with those constitutional amendments,” he said.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill to be considered
Mr Agalga also indicated that Parliament would consider the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, also known as the Family Values Bill, during the sitting.
He said the government was committed to ensuring the legislation was passed, adding that President John Mahama would assent to it if approved by Parliament.
“That bill would be dealt with once and for all. And I want to assure you, the President will sign the bill into law in due course,” he said.
Other bills before Parliament
The Majority Leader said the Parliament Transition Bill, 2026, and the Parliament Bill, which seeks to amend the Parliament Act, were among other pieces of legislation before the House.
Both bills are currently at the second-reading stage.
He said some bills had reached the third-reading stage but dismissed suggestions that Parliament intended to fundamentally alter legislation it had previously considered.
“Nobody, and let me repeat, is seeking to change fundamentally any bill which has previously been dealt with by this august house,” he said.
However, he maintained that Parliament would make changes where necessary to ensure that human rights and constitutional provisions were properly aligned.
2027 Budget and committee reports
The 2027 Budget is expected to be presented to Parliament on November 12, 2026, after which the House will consider the Appropriation Bill.
Mr Agalga also said the sitting would feature the presentation of annual audit committee statements and reports from various parliamentary committees.
He explained that motions would be moved for the consideration of committee reports as they were presented to the House.
“We are looking forward to receiving the reports of the committees in question. And as and when reports are laid, motions will be taken in respect of those reports,” he said.
With 28 sitting days available before the Christmas break, Parliament faces a packed legislative agenda covering the national budget, constitutional amendments and other outstanding bills.
