House Begins FY2025 Draft Budget Expenditure Hearings By: Fiona Benson Kollie

The House of Representatives Joint Ways, Means, Finance and Development Planning and Public Accounts have commenced the expenditure hearings of fiscal year 2025 draft budget.  It can be recalled the draft 2025 budget was submitted at a little over USD 851M, with an increase of $112,875,039 compared to FY2024 Approved Budget of $738,859,834. According to a statement issued by the HOR Press Bureau, the commencement of such hearings of the draft budget which was submitted to the legislature consistent with the 1986 Constitution in line with the rules and procedures of the House of Representatives and the Public Financial Law of 2009. Speaking during the opening ceremony on Monday, December 16, 2024, the Ways, Means and Finance  Chairman, Representative P. Mike Jury, said the expenditure hearing provides an opportunity for various line ministries and agencies to defend their respective budget expenditures and allocations, opened to the public as part of efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public funds. Chairman Jury said in order to expedite the Expenditure Hearing, the Ways, Means Finance and Development Planning (WMDP) Committee and the Public Account Committee (PAC) are working into sub-committees to conduct hearings simultaneously. According to him, the expenditure hearing will be executed in a strategic way to save time and enhance the passage of the 2025 National Budget on or before Friday, 20th December2025.   He also said the expenditure components will focus on Agriculture value chain programs. Roads and infrastructure, Education, Health, Basic Social Services, Salaries to improve public sector remuneration, And many other developmental priorities among other allocations.  The Maryland County District 1Representative assured the public of the joint renewed and robust oversight into the execution, emphasizing that the committee will put in place further fiscal measures that will grant viewing and garnishing rights given the LRA; and will further conduct hearings on quarterly performance reports, among others.

 Meanwhile, the first day sitting was graced by the Ministry of Finance, the Liberia Revenue Authority, the National Identification Registry, the Civil Service Agency among others.