By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

The Senate has passed on third reading the bill that seeks to extend the mandate of the Bureau of Lands and Surveys and Land Court during a special session last Saturday.
HB No. 7-154-9, HD1, is intended to permit the Land Court until Feb. 11, 2009 and the BLS until August 11, 2008.
The provision regarding the Land Court, the term of which would have expired on Feb. 11, 2008, requires all determinations of land ownership to be made prior to the Court’s phase out on Feb. 11, 2009.
The BLS, which is responsible for the designation of areas, survey and monumentation of land, and the registration of land claims, was given an additional year to be phased out.
Also on the same special session, the Senate passed on third reading SB No. 7-12-SD1, known as Frequent Flyer Mileage Act of 2005.
The bill, which was authored by Joshua Koshiba, proposes that the national government establishes a Medical Referral Frequent Flyer Mileage Account with all the airlines serving Palau and that all frequent flyer mileage from government travel would be deposited to that Account.
This mileage would then be used foe medical referrals to the Philippines and Hawaii.
According to a press release from the Senate, individuals still have the option of receiving personal frequent flyer mileage for travel paid for through non-government funds.
The bill that proposes to split the Ministry of Resources and Development into two ministries (HB 7-51-7S, SD1) and subsequently dissolve the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, was deferred until the next session day.
The Senate said that the Bill, which finds that the responsibilities of the MRD are overly burdensome, seeks to create the Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Resources and the Ministry of Development, Transportation and Communication.
The Bill explained this would enable Palau to build a better development and management policy for Palau’s resources, including agriculture, aquaculture, forestry and other natural resources as well as tourism, human resources and environment.
This would also give another ministry a responsibility in maintaining as well as for the operation, engineering and design of government-owned facilities and equipment, including public utilities, public works, capital improvement projects, infrastructure, lands, surveys, land, sea and air transportation, ports and communications.
The Senate also unanimously adopted Senate Joint Resolution No. 7-64 to call a joint session of the Seventh Olbiil Era Kelulau to receive President Remengesau for the State of the Republic Address on April 10.