BILL NO. 93

(as introduced)

2nd Session, 62nd General Assembly
Nova Scotia
64 Elizabeth II, 2015

Private Member's Bill

Transparency in Ministers' Expenses Act

Tim Houston
Pictou East

First Reading: April 21, 2015

(Explanatory Note)

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 This Act may be cited as the Transparency in Ministers' Expenses Act.

2 Chapter 155 of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the Executive Council Act, is amended by

(a) renumbering Section 9A as 9D; and

(b) adding immediately after Section 9 the following Sections:

9A (1) In this Section, "expenses" means expenses incurred by a member of the Executive Council and reimbursed pursuant to Section 7, 8 or 9.

(2) Each member of the Executive Council shall keep records of all expenses of the member, detailing individual expenditures including the date, description and amount of each transaction, together with copies of supporting documents.

9B (1) In this Section, "expenses" means expenses incurred by an executive assistant to a member of the Executive Council as an assistant to the member.

(2) Each executive assistant to a member of the Executive Council shall keep records of all expenses of the executive assistant, detailing individual expenditures including the date, description and amount of each transaction, together with copies of supporting documents.

(3) The executive assistant shall provide the records to the member of the Executive Council.

9C (1) The member of the Executive Council shall make the records kept pursuant to Sections 9A and 9B available for inspection and copying by the Clerk of the Executive Council and the Auditor General.

(2) A member of the Executive Council shall retain the records kept pursuant to Sections 9A and 9B until three years after the member ceases to be a member.

(3) Each month, the member of the Executive Council shall post or cause to be posted a copy of the member's and of the member's executive assistant's previous month's expenses on a website maintained and operated by the Government of the Province.

(4) Each half year, the member of the Executive Council shall prepare a statement of all expenses of the member and the member's executive assistant, detailing individual expenditures including the date, description and amount of each transaction, for the preceding half year.

(5) The member of the Executive Council shall

(a) make the statements available for inspection by any person within a reasonable time after a request by that person for inspection; and

(b) post or cause to be posted a copy of each statement on a website maintained and operated by the Government of the Province.

(6) A statement need not be kept by the member of the Executive Council for public inspection after five years following the end of the year to which the statement relates.