JOINT CONGRESS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Governance, Command and Order

JOINT CONGRESS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Seat: Hall of Justice, St Helena- Adenport, Roseport

Parliamentary service: Administration of the General Assembly

Structure: College of Joint Conferences and Political Bodies of the whole of the General Assembly 

Instituted: 1983

Chief: Deputy John L. Curtts, President pro tempore of the Chamber of Deputies

Membership in Plenum: All State Deputies and Senators of the Nation

The Joint Congress of the General Assembly is a College of different Joint Conferences, Committees and Political Bodies of the whole of the General Assembly managing matters of relevance to both Chambers of the General Assembly.

The precursor of the Joint Congress were instituted in 1975 by an proposal from then Chairman of the People's Government Eelia Michaelsen. In both chambers of the General Assembly, almost every debate ''at the floor'' concerns proposed final bills, resolutions, agreements, confirmations, appropriations or propositions. In the Chamber of Deputies, Conseils is also arranged for the purpose of scrutixzing the Executive and holding Councilors of State to account. In the Senate, Estimates fills the same function. 

Back in 1975, a new generation State Deputies and Senators were elected who criticized the lack of opportunity of political debates on subjects which the private members choose, not the party leaderships of Presidencies of each Chamber. Chairman Michaelsen did not want to undermine the authorities of the party leaderships neither the chamber presidencies. Instead, she instituted an ''simple and uncomplicated Committee of the whole of the General Assembly'' open for debates on subjects which the private members asked for. 

The Committee where first called ''the Committee of the General Assembly as a Whole'' but  year later, it was renamed to the ''Joint Council of the General Assembly.

The intention was merely to institute a permanent organ of the General Assembly, rather an attempt of responding to the overwhelming critic from the new members. Actually, the Government expected the Joint Council to ''self-die'' by lack of business after the first couple of months. Instead, the Council were used frequently and became a tool of extra scrutiny and discussions on bills, motions and propositions but also for general, political debate were both Senators and State Deputies could participate.

In 1978, the Government therefor begun to organize the business more properly, allocating parliamentary funding for personnel and administration. Since then, the Council has been an important tool in the legislative work and process of the General Assembly. 

In 1985, the Socialist Government put up different Joint Committees in a much larger extent than before. Already since the early days of the General Assembly, Joint Committees had existed, functioned and been appointed but they often had a temporary, time-limited purpose and those Joint, Standing Committees existing was in a much minor extent than after the Socialist Government in 1985. After the 1985 election, the Socialist Government appointed Joint Committees in an unprecedented extent which called for some form of Joint Administration and Coordinating Service of the Committees work and business. In 1986, both Chambers of the General Assembly decided to create a Standing, Joint Body of the General Assembly called the Joint Congress. The intention of the Joint Congress was intentionally just to name the College of Joint Services.