MONROVIA –The House of Representatives Joint Committees on Good Governance and Judiciary have conducted public hearing on a proposed legislation seeking to amend Chapter 50B of the New Executive Law, Title 12 of the Liberian Code of Laws Revised, which established the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE).
The hearing followed the submission of a bill by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. titled, “An Act to Amend Chapter 50B of the New Executive Law, Title 12 of the Liberian Code of Laws Revised, Creating the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE).”
In his communication to the Legislature, President Boakai emphasized that since its establishment, LACE has served as a vital institution in improving the living standards of disadvantaged communities through the provision of basic social services, income-generating infrastructure, and community-driven development initiatives across Liberia.
The President noted that emerging national priorities under the Government’s ARREST Agenda, coupled with the need to strengthen institutional capacity, transparency, and accountability, necessitate amendments to the existing legal framework governing the agency.
Among the key reforms proposed in the legislation is the creation of a third Deputy Executive Director position responsible for Programs and Operations.
The proposed position is intended to enhance oversight of field activities, improve donor coordination, and strengthen project implementation nationwide.
The bill also seeks to reconstitute LACE’s Board of Directors by broadening representation to include a legal professional to strengthen compliance and accountability, as well as representatives from civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations and development partners.
Additionally, the legislation proposes the establishment of a Board Incentives Policy aimed at attracting and retaining qualified individuals capable of providing strategic leadership and governance oversight.
A significant aspect of the proposed amendments focuses on strengthening financial management systems.
The bill seeks to centralize funds generated from State-Owned Enterprises, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions, and concessionaires under LACE for standardized administration and transparent reporting.
The proposed legislation further recommends redesignating the position of Finance Director to better align the agency’s financial operations with modern accountability and public financial management standards.
The bill also seeks to institutionalize District Development Funds through mandatory annual budgetary allocations, a measure intended to ensure predictable financing for community development projects and advance the government’s decentralization agenda.
The lengthy public hearing was held in the Chamber of the House of Representatives Wednesday and featured testimonies from three legal representatives of LACE, including the Agency’s Executive Director, Mr. Julius K. Sele, who provided detailed explanations and justifications for the proposed amendments.
Speaking at the conclusion of the hearing, Joint Committee member, Foday Fahnbulleh, stated that members of the committee would carefully review the testimonies and submissions presented by witnesses before preparing their final report and recommendations to plenary.
Fahnbulleh noted that the committee remains committed to conducting a thorough review of the proposed legislation and will subsequently present its findings and recommendations to the full House for consideration and legislative action.
The public hearing forms part of the Legislature’s ongoing efforts to ensure broad stakeholder participation and comprehensive scrutiny of legislation aimed at strengthening governance and national development institutions
