MP Roseburg comes to budget debate with draft laws, not just questions

GREAT BAY--Rather than limiting her contribution to questions and criticism of the government's 2027 national budget, Member of Parliament Sjamira Roseburg arrived at Wednesday's parliamentary debate with draft legislation and policy proposals already prepared, offering the Council of Ministers practical measures to address high electricity bills, generate additional government revenue, protect vulnerable households and strengthen job security for workers on temporary contracts.

Roseburg presented a package of legislative initiatives and proposed amendments targeting some of St. Maarten's most persistent challenges, explaining that she had taken the initiative to begin drafting solutions rather than continue waiting for government to complete its legislative work.

The proposals include a National Ordinance on Electricity Tariff Oversight to strengthen independent supervision of GEBE's electricity rates and fuel clause, amendments to the Price Ordinance to regulate fuel prices charged by suppliers such as SOL, a revised room tax that would increase the rate from 5% to 10%, amendments to the Legesverordening to modernize government service fees, a National Ordinance on Fair Temporary Contracts and a proposed disconnection policy to protect vulnerable electricity consumers.

Roseburg explained that the initiatives remain drafts that can be reviewed, amended and improved through the normal legislative process. She offered to make them available to the relevant ministries, emphasizing that her objective is to assist government in moving legislation forward, not to compete with the Council of Ministers over who receives credit.

The MP acknowledged that government faces staffing shortages, demanding workloads and competing legislative priorities. However, she argued that those constraints should encourage greater cooperation between the executive and Parliament, particularly when members possess the legal knowledge and ability to contribute.

"As co legislator, I just did my job," Roseburg explained in outlining her approach to the debate.

Her contribution centered on the principle that members of Parliament should not only identify problems and demand answers but also use their legislative authority to help develop solutions.

Proposed Law Would Strengthen Oversight of GEBE's Fuel Clause

Among the initiatives Roseburg presented was the draft National Ordinance on Electricity Tariff Oversight, designed to establish a stronger legal framework for reviewing and approving GEBE's electricity tariffs, including the fuel clause.

The proposed ordinance would amend the existing Electricity Concessions Ordinance and give the Bureau Telecommunications and Post (BTP), acting as an independent supervisor, legal authority to examine and approve electricity tariffs before they are applied to consumers.

The draft would also incorporate the tariff oversight arrangements established under Ministerial Decree 2026/806 into national legislation, providing a statutory foundation rather than leaving the oversight framework dependent on a ministerial decree.

Complementing that initiative is a proposed amendment to the Price Ordinance that would bring electricity prices and fuel prices charged by suppliers such as SOL within a stronger price-regulation framework.

Roseburg's approach recognizes the relationship between the cost of fuel supplied to GEBE and the fuel clause ultimately charged to consumers. By strengthening supervision of both elements, the proposals seek to improve transparency and ensure that electricity customers are charged according to properly reviewed costs.

She also questioned what immediate action could be taken following the BTP's findings concerning GEBE's fuel clause.

Roseburg suggested that government, as shareholder, examine whether the fuel clause could be restored to its previous level while the regulatory issues are addressed. She also raised the possibility of returning approximately 6.9 million guilders to consumers if the amount identified in the ongoing discussions is determined to represent overcharges requiring reimbursement.

The MP maintained that government should not have to wait for every legislative amendment to be completed before examining available measures to protect electricity consumers.

Disconnection Policy to Protect Seniors and Vulnerable Families

Roseburg also prepared a draft disconnection policy intended to establish clearer protections for households struggling to pay their electricity bills.

She expressed particular concern about elderly residents and vulnerable families facing disconnection while government continues discussing the need for a formal policy.

The MP questioned why protections that have been discussed repeatedly have not yet been implemented.

She asked whether GEBE could suspend disconnections affecting seniors and other vulnerable households while the proposed policy is reviewed and finalized.

The initiative seeks to address the immediate social consequences of electricity disconnections while establishing a more consistent framework for handling customers experiencing financial hardship.

Higher Room Tax Could Help Fund Garbage Collection and GEBE Relief

On revenue generation, Roseburg proposed increasing St. Maarten's existing room tax from 5% to 10% as an interim measure while government continues preparing comprehensive visitor tax legislation.

Under her proposal, the additional revenue could be directed toward specific national priorities, including garbage collection and public sanitation, assistance for vulnerable groups and relief from high GEBE electricity bills.

Roseburg argued that visitors should contribute more directly to the public services and infrastructure they utilize during their stay.

The proposed increase would provide an opportunity to generate additional revenue through an existing tax mechanism rather than waiting for an entirely new visitor levy to become operational.

She also suggested that the room tax rate could be reassessed once the broader tourist tax legislation is implemented to prevent unnecessary overlap between the measures.

Roseburg asked the Ministers of Finance and TEATT whether they would support examining the proposal and offered to provide her draft amendment for further consideration.

Modernizing Government Fees and Introducing Paid Express Services

Another initiative presented by Roseburg concerns amendments to the Legesverordening, the ordinance governing fees charged for various government services.

She questioned why St. Maarten continues operating under outdated fee structures when government urgently requires additional revenue and certain services could support revised charges.

Her draft proposes modernizing and increasing selected fees, introducing paid express services for individuals and businesses seeking faster processing, and examining a Pay to Stay mechanism.

The proposal is intended to broaden revenue opportunities while ensuring that charges better reflect the administrative services being provided.

Roseburg noted that revisions to the ordinance have been discussed during previous budget debates but have yet to produce the desired legislative changes.

She offered her draft and accompanying explanatory memorandum to the responsible ministry for review, stressing that existing work could be incorporated rather than unnecessarily duplicated.

Fair Temporary Contracts and Greater Job Security

Roseburg also turned her attention to workers who remain on successive temporary employment contracts for years without achieving permanent employment status.

Her draft National Ordinance on Fair Temporary Contracts seeks to address the repeated use of fixed-term arrangements for work that is ongoing or structural.

The proposed framework would establish limits on the number and duration of successive temporary contracts, after which employment would automatically become permanent.

It would also prevent employers from using short interruptions between contracts to avoid those limits and require clearer justification for temporary employment arrangements.

Workers would have access to legal remedies where employers fail to comply with the requirements.

Roseburg emphasized that continued reliance on temporary contracts affects far more than employment security. Workers without stable contracts often experience difficulties obtaining mortgages, qualifying for loans and making long-term financial decisions for themselves and their families.

She questioned the status of the government's own work on temporary employment legislation, particularly following advice issued by the Social Economic Council (SER).

The MP offered her draft as a contribution that could help accelerate the legislative process if the ministry had not yet completed its own proposal.

Demands National Legislative Agenda to Prevent Further Delays

Beyond presenting her draft initiatives, Roseburg called on Prime Minister Luc Mercelina to provide Parliament with a consolidated legislative agenda identifying the priority laws being developed across all ministries.

She argued that government cannot effectively address its legislative backlog without a clear overview of which laws are being prepared, their position in the legislative process and when they are expected to reach Parliament.

Roseburg noted that government has been working to strengthen its legislative capacity, including the availability of legal drafting support, but maintained that additional personnel must be guided by a coordinated list of priorities.

She requested that even a preliminary legislative agenda be provided before the second round of the budget debate.

For Roseburg, such an agenda would also allow members of Parliament to identify where they can provide assistance and avoid duplicating work already underway within ministries.

SER Delays Threaten Progress on Important Legislation

The MP also questioned the continued difficulties surrounding appointments to the SER, warning that delays in restoring the council's full functioning could affect legislation awaiting its advice.

She specifically referenced her own proposed amendment to the Rent Ordinance, which remains among the legislative initiatives awaiting progress.

Roseburg asked the Prime Minister to provide a concrete timeline for resolving the outstanding appointments and ensuring that the SER can fulfill its advisory responsibilities.

She questioned how Parliament and government could be expected to advance legislation efficiently when important advisory procedures remain delayed.

The MP also requested an update on the proposed screening law for political officeholders, arguing that St. Maarten requires clear, consistent rules governing the screening process rather than relying on procedures that may vary between individual cases.

She asked whether the screening legislation is included among government's priorities and when Parliament can expect to receive it.

Social Protection, School Breakfasts and Second Chances

Roseburg's contribution also addressed the immediate needs of vulnerable residents, including children who depend on school breakfast assistance.

She questioned the future of a breakfast initiative funded through a 50,000-guilder allocation approved by Parliament, noting that approximately 60 children currently benefit from the program.

With the funding arrangement approaching its conclusion, she asked the Ministry of Education what measures would be put in place to ensure that the children do not suddenly lose access to the assistance.

The MP also requested an update on the Community Resilience and Training (CRT) pilot program, including whether mentorship and role-model initiatives could be incorporated to strengthen its impact on young people.

She encouraged cooperation between the Ministries of Justice and VSA to develop second-chance employment and training opportunities for individuals seeking to reintegrate into society.

Roseburg questioned whether resources from the Crime Fund could help support such initiatives and requested clarification on the implementation of previously identified second-chance projects.

She also raised concerns about the electricity disconnection affecting FREEGAN's food assistance activities, questioning whether a lasting solution was being developed to protect food supplies intended for vulnerable residents.

On Justice matters, Roseburg requested updates on outstanding personnel payments, victim compensation, the proposed tourist police pilot and the timetable for modernizing the Criminal Procedure Code.

She also asked for clearer information about the garbage collection tender, requesting that the Minister of VROMI explain the process, evaluation system and communication with bidders in terms the public can understand.

Legislation as Part of the Solution

Throughout her presentation, Roseburg returned to the importance of translating parliamentary discussions into legislative action.

She acknowledged that the Council of Ministers has numerous responsibilities and that proposed laws must undergo proper review, legal scrutiny and consultation before they can be adopted.

However, she maintained that these requirements should not prevent members of Parliament from preparing initiatives and contributing to the work.

Her offer to share draft legislation with government was accompanied by an invitation to amend, improve or incorporate the proposals into work already being undertaken by the responsible ministries.

Roseburg's contribution provided a concrete example of how Parliament's role as co-legislator can extend beyond scrutinizing budgets and questioning ministers to developing proposals addressing the problems residents face.

With draft measures addressing electricity costs, government revenue, job security and protection for vulnerable households already prepared for consideration, she placed the next question before the Council of Ministers: which proposals can be advanced, and how soon can the legislative work begin?

For Roseburg, the message was that St. Maarten's challenges require more than identifying what is wrong. They also require elected representatives to take an active role in developing what could make things right.

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