CHAPTER 3
ACTS OF PARLIAMENT ACT
Arrangement of Sections
Section
2. Enactments to be styled "Acts"
5. Preparation of presentation copies
11. Status of verified copies of database instruments last updated date
12. Powers of Commissioner in relation to electronic Act
13. Editorial amendments not to change legal effects of Acts
14. Commissioner to compile record of editorial amendments
15. Editorial amendments without effect if not contained in record
AN ACT
to provide for the form and commencement of Acts; to provide for the procedure following the perusing of Bills; and to provide for matters incidental to or connected with the foregoing.
[24th October, 1964]
Act 64 of 1964,
Act 36 of 2021.
This Act may be cited as the Acts of Parliament Act.
"Commissioner" has the meaning assigned to the word in the Laws of Zambia (Revised Edition) Act, 1968;
"Laws of Zambia" has the meaning assigned to the words in the Laws of Zambia (Revised Edition) Act, 1968;
[S 1A ins by s 2 of Act 36 of 2021.]
2. Enactments to be styled "Acts"
All laws made by Parliament shall be styled "Acts".
(1) The provisions of every Act shall be prefaced by the words of enactment specified in the First Schedule.
{mprestriction ids="2,3,5"}
(2) The words of enactment shall be taken to extend to all sections of the Act and to any Schedules, tables and other provisions contained therein.
Where an Act contains more than one enactment, it shall be divided into sections and sections containing more than one enactment shall be divided into sub-sections.
5. Preparation of presentation copies
(1) As soon as a Bill has been passed by the National Assembly, the Clerk of the National Assembly shall cause the text of the Bill as passed to be sent to the Government Printer who shall print four copies thereof on vellum or on paper of enduring quality and send the copies as printed to the Clerk.
(2) As soon as may be after a Bill has been received by the Clerk of the National Assembly in pursuance of the provision of sub-section (1), the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker or, in their absence or if they are unable to act, the Clerk of the National Assembly shall-
(a) cause to be made in the said copies such corrections as relate to misprints, typographical errors and wrong references, if any, as are necessary;
(b) carefully compare the said copies with the text of the Bill as passed and if he finds them to be correct sign on each copy a statement in the form set out in the Second Schedule; and
(c) cause the said copies to be presented to the President for assent.
(3) Where a special Bill is passed in the National Assembly after having been supported on second and third readings by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of the Assembly, the Speaker, or the Deputy Speaker if the Speaker is absent or otherwise unable to act shall, before the Bill is presented to the President for his assent, insert in the Bill in whatever form he considers appropriate a certificate that the Bill was passed after having been so supported.
(4) For the purposes of this section "special Bill" means a Bill for an Act which is required by the Constitution to be supported in the manner described in sub-section (3) before it may be passed in the National Assembly.
(1) The President shall signify that he assents to a Bill by signing on each copy of the Bill prepared in accordance with the provisions of section 5, a statement to that effect in the form set out in the Third Schedule.
(2) A Bill shall become an Act on the signature by the President of the first of the said copies.
(1) Acts shall be numbered consecutively in the order in which they become Acts and the numbering shall begin afresh at the commencement of a calendar year.
(2) As soon as the President has signed a copy of an Act under the provisions of section 6, the
Clerk shall cause the number of the Act to be entered on the copy so signed.
(1) Whenever the procedure set out in sections 5, 6 and 7 purports to have been followed in relation to copies of an Act, the copies shall be deemed to be the original copies of the Act and shall be conclusive evidence of the terms of the Act, its number and the date of assent.
(2) Two of the original copies of every Act shall be retained by the President who shall cause one each of the remaining copies to be deposited with the Speaker and the Director of National Archives of Zambia, appointed under the National Archives Act.
(1) Every Act shall be published by the Government Printer as soon as may be after the President's assent has been signified, and shall be so published-
(a) with the omission of the statements contained in the original copies by virtue of the provisions of sections 5 and 6;
(b) with the insertion of a statement of the date on which the President's assent was signified, and the date of commencement;
(c) where appropriate, with the inclusion of any certificate given in pursuance of the provisions of sub-section (3) of section 5.
[S 9 renumbered as s 9(1) by s 3(a) of Act 36 of 2021.]
(2) An Act may be published in an electronic format.
[S 9(2) ins by s 3(b) of Act 36 of 2021.]
(1) The Ministry responsible for justice shall for the purposes of section 9(2) establish and maintain an electronic database of the Laws of Zambia.
(2) The database established under sub-section (1) shall contain-
(a) the Constitution;
(b) consolidated copies of Acts that have been given chapter numbers under the Laws of Zambia (Revised Edition) Act, 1968;
(c) copies of Acts published under section 9(1); and
(d) the record of editorial amendments compiled by the Commissioner under section 14.
[S 10 subs by s 4 of Act 36 of 2021.]
11. Status of verified copies of database instruments last updated date
(1) A copy of an electronic Act that is published on or printed directly from a website hosting the database and that bears an official verification as prescribed, is a verified copy of the Act.
(2) A verified copy of an electronic Act, is presumed, unless the contrary is proved, to correctly state the electronic Act, as at the date specified in the copy.
[S 11 ins by s 5 of Act 36 of 2021.]
12. Powers of Commissioner in relation to electronic Act
(1) The Commissioner may exercise the Commissioner's functions under the Laws of Zambia (Revised Edition) Act, 1968, in relation to an electronic Act.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of sub-section (1), the Commissioner may-
(a) arrange the grouping and sequence of electronic Acts;
(b) correct a grammatical, clerical or typographical error;
(c) change the way of referring to or expressing a number, year, date, time, amount of money, quantity or measurement;
(d) alter the text of a provision to reflect an amendment to the provision deemed to have been made by another provision;
(e) omit any enacting, expired or spent provision;
(f) change the sequence of definitions, or of unnumbered items in a list; and
(g) insert, after an item in a list appearing in the text of one official language, the equivalent of that item in a local language.
[S 12 ins by s 5 of Act 36 of 2021.]
13. Editorial amendments not to change legal effects of Acts
An editorial amendment made by the Commissioner under this Act shall not change the legal effect of an Act.
[S 13 ins by s 5 of Act 36 of 2021.]
14. Commissioner to compile record of editorial amendments
(1) The Commissioner shall compile a record containing-
(a) descriptions of editorial amendments made;
(b) the time and date on which each description of editorial amendments is entered in the record; and
(c) other information that the Commissioner and the Attorney-General consider necessary to users of the record.
(2) A record compiled under sub-section (1) shall be kept in a form that the Commissioner considers appropriate.
[S 14 ins by s 5 of Act 36 of 2021.]
15. Editorial amendments without effect if not contained in record
An editorial amendment does not have effect unless the information relating to that amendment is contained in the record compiled under section 14.
[S 15 ins by s 5 of Act 36 of 2021.]
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the commencement of an Act shall be a date that is provided in or under the Act, or where no date is so provided, the date of its publication as notified in the Gazette.
(2) Every Act shall be deemed to come into force immediately on the expiration of the day next preceding its commencement.
(3) A provision in an Act regulating the coming into force of the Act or any part thereof shall have effect despite that the Part of the Act containing the provision has not come into operation.
(4) Where an Act is made with retrospective effect, the commencement of the Act shall be the date from which it is given or deemed to be given that effect.
(5) Sub-section (4) does not apply to an Act until there is a notification in the Gazette as to the date of its publication and until that date is specified, the Act shall be without effect.
[S 16 ins by s 5 of Act 36 of 2021.]
[Section 3]
WORDS OF ENACTMENT
ENACTED by the Parliament of Zambia.
[Section 5]
FORM OF AUTHENTICATION STATEMENT
This printed impression has been carefully compared by me with the Bill which has passed the
National assembly, and found by me to be a true and correctly printed copy of the said Bill.
Signed
Speaker/Deputy Speaker/Clerk of the National Assembly
Date of Authentication:
[Section 6]
FORM OF STATEMENT OF THE PRESIDENT"™S ASSENT
I hereby signify my assent to the Bill.
Signed............................................................ President
Date of Assent:
{/mprestriction}