By Archie Boan
A growing rift between the Liberian Senate and the House of Representatives has triggered debate over constitutional authority and legislative procedure.
The tension follows a formal complaint filed by Representative Musa Hassan Bility of Nimba County District #7, who argues that the Senate has overstepped its bounds by launching national budget hearings prematurely.
Rep. Bility is urging the House to step in and halt the Senate’s ongoing review, asserting that Article 34(d)(i) of the 1986 Constitution clearly states that all fiscal measures, including the National Budget, must first originate in the House before proceeding to the Senate.
He cautioned that the Senate’s early involvement could breed institutional friction, procedural confusion, and avoidable constitutional ambiguity.
Given the budget’s central role in governance, Bility insists that strict adherence to the constitutional process is essential to preserving public confidence.
But Senator Abraham Darius Dillon of Montserrado County firmly rejected Bility’s position, describing it as legally unfounded and misleading.
Dillon contends that although the House initiates the budget, the Senate retains full concurrence power, including the authority to make amendments.
He emphasized that the Constitution does not prohibit the Senate from starting hearings before the House finishes its review—only from approving the budget before the House acts.
Dillon defended the Senate’s early hearings as a pragmatic, forward-leaning strategy designed to ensure the chamber is prepared once the budget formally arrives for consideration.
