Liberia: House Takes Senate to Task for ‘Overstepping’ Its Boundary To Hold Budget Hearing

Monrovia – Tension is rising within Liberia’s first branch of government as the House of Representatives accuses the Senate of overstepping its constitutional authority by conducting separate budget hearings.

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By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway 

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Members of the House expressed strong dissatisfaction after several government agencies, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs), failed to appear at the House’s revenue hearings. Instead, these entities reportedly attended similar sessions convened by the Senate—a move House members labeled a “gross disrespect” to their constitutional mandate.

Representative Michael Thomas of Montserrado County District #4 said, “What these functionaries of government are doing to us is a gross disrespect to our power. Specifically, Article 34(d) of the Constitution grants us the sole authority to conduct budget hearings. The Senate has the power to hold confirmation hearings, and we too must be meticulous in executing our budget oversight responsibilities.”

Constitutional Authority Cited

Article 34(d)(i) of the Liberian Constitution states: “All revenue bills, whether subsidies, charges, imports, duties or taxes, and other financial bills, shall originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills… In all such cases, a true and correct account of funds collected shall be made to the community or locality.”

Speaker Seeks Dialogue

In a bid to resolve the brewing tension, House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon said he plans to engage the Senate President Pro Tempore and, if necessary, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. According to Speaker Koon, these discussions are crucial for maintaining coordination and harmony within the Legislature.

Executive Agencies Could Face Contempt

Despite efforts to ease tensions, the defiant agencies are not off the hook. Following a motion by Nimba County Representative Musa Hassan Bility, approved unanimously by the House, these agencies and SOEs have been summoned to appear before the House Plenary to explain why they should not be held in contempt for failing to attend the official revenue hearings.

Chairman of the Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance, Representative P. Mike Jury of Maryland County, confirmed that the agencies opted for the Senate’s hearing over the House’s, in direct contravention of the House’s constitutional authority. The motion to summon them was seconded by Grand Gedeh District #1 Representative Jeremiah Sokan and passed without objection.

A recurrent dispute

This is not the first time such a disagreement has erupted within the Legislature. In November 2021, a similar dispute arose in the 54th Legislature when the House declined to act on a bill submitted by the Liberian Senate, arguing that the Senate was usurping its constitutional functions.

The bill in question—a Mineral Development Agreement between the Liberian government and BAO CHICO Resources Liberia Ltd—was passed by the Senate and forwarded to the House for ratification. In a rare move, the House Plenary voted in favor of a motion filed by then Representative Clarence Massaquoi (District #3, Lofa County), calling on the House to ignore the bill and inform the Senate that it was in breach of the Constitution.

The Senate, taken aback, vowed to seek interpretation from the Supreme Court regarding Article 34. The Court ruled that the agreement was not a “revenue bill” within the meaning of Article 34(d)(i) of the 1986 Liberian Constitution, which defines revenue and financial bills. As a result, the Court held that either chamber—the Senate or the House—may ratify such concession or investmenttype agreements and send them to the other chamber for concurrence. The Court confirmed that the Senate’s ratification of the BAO CHICO concession and its submission to the House did not violate Article 34(d)(i).

However, the Court also emphasized that all revenue bills—taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies, and other financial measures—must originate in the House of Representatives, with the Senate allowed only to propose or concur with amendments.

Following the ruling, the two chambers conducted budget hearings jointly, with the Chairman of the House Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance presiding. This cooperative pattern continued until the first year of the 55th Legislature in 2024. However, after an acrimonious impasse in the House that year, the Senate resolved to scrutinize the budget separately. This pattern has continued into 2025, much to the disappointment of House members.