Bills

Bills

What are Bills?

All laws (now called Acts) initially begin as a Bill. A Bill either introduces a new law into the Parliament, or it amends an existing one. All Bills must come through the Parliament for considering by the Members of Parliament (MPs) during a Meeting of the House before they go further along the process of becoming law. Bills implement policies and/or address economic and social issues as they develop, and allow the elected legislative officials to act on behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands.

What are the current Bills being reviewed by Parliament?

To view the current Bills, select the current Session on the drop-down filter below. You can also view past Bills from previous Sessions using the same filtering tool below. Bills are also recorded on the following site, which is maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Commissioner within the Portfolio of Legal Affairs: https://www.legislation.gov.ky/cms/bills/bills-by-year.html.

The Parliament’s Order Paper for each Sitting of each Meeting will show when a Bill was considered, and the Hansard transcript is a record of any debate that took place for that day.

How does a Bill become law?

A proposal is put forward to the Cabinet by the Ministry or Portfolio responsible for the subject. Once approved by Cabinet, the Bill is forwarded to the Clerk of Parliament by the Minister or Member of Cabinet in charge of the Bill. It is examined by the House in accordance with Parliament Standing Orders by going through the following procedural stages:

First Reading: This is purely a formal stage where the Bill is introduced to the House and the short title of the Bill is read out by the Clerk. A Bill, however, shall not be read a first time unless it has been gazetted and has reached every Member of the Legislative Assembly 21 days before it is proposed to be read a first time.
Second Reading: The Minister or Member of Cabinet in charge of the Bill moves the Second Reading. This is the most important stage through which a Bill has to pass. Members have the opportunity to debate (for no longer than two hours) the general merits and principles of the Bill.
Committee Stage: This is the stage where the Bill is considered in detail. Each clause and paragraph is considered and it is during this stage that any Member may propose an amendment.
Report on the Bill: The Minister or Member in charge of the Bill reports to the House that the Bill was considered by the committee and was passed with or without amendment(s). The Bill is then set down for its third reading.
Third Reading: This is the stage when a Bill is finally accepted and/or rejected by the House. The Minister or Member in charge of the Bill moves that the Bill be read a third time and passed. There is no debate at this stage and the question is put to the House for a decision.

Following the Third Reading of the Bill, a true corrected copy of the Bill (including all amendments, deletions, etc., in Committee) is prepared by the Clerk of Parliament and sent to the Hon. Attorney General, who prepares a legal report on the Bill for H.E. Governor. The legislation is finally printed on vellum paper and signed by both the Hon. Speaker of the House and the Clerk of Parliament, and forwarded to H.E. the Governor for her seal and assent. When a Bill has been assented to by the Governor and published in the Official Government Gazette, it becomes an Act of Parliament.

A Bill does not become a law of the Islands until:

The Bill has been considered and passed by the Members of Parliament;
The Bill as passed by the Parliament has been assented to by H.E. the Governor of the Cayman Islands; and,
The Bill is published in the Official Gazette.

Where can I see the laws of the Cayman Islands?

All current and former legislation can be viewed on the judicial database maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Commissioner within the Portfolio of Legal Affairs of the Cayman Islands Government: https://legislation.gov.ky/cms/

How can I voice my opinion on a Bill?

Members of the public who wish to voice their support or concern for a Bill can do so by writing to their Member of Parliament or to the Governmental Department responsible for the Bill.

Find A Bill

Select from the below for more information:

Land Holding Companies Share Transfer Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025 Introduced

About

Members

Business

Hansard

CPA

PMC

Media