Senators voted today to delay a final vote on cost-of-living laws that opponents said would allow the Government to set price controls on certain items.

The legislation aimed at expanding the powers of the Cost of Living Commission ran into heavy opposition from One Bermuda Alliance and independent senators before the Government failed to get it to a final vote.

The Cost of Living Amendment (No 2) Act 2026 would enable price-increase controls on essential commodities and allow for the designation, price-information monitoring and price sharing of critical services.

The Bill would also permit consultation and collaboration between the commission and other public authorities with responsibility for the regulation or consumer protection of commodities.

The legislation drew criticism from businesses, which said the measures included were administratively burdensome and would present greater challenges for fresh, healthy goods, which can fluctuate in price rapidly based on international factors.

While the Bill made it through the House of Assembly on Friday, opposition and independent senators voted against allowing it to progress to a third reading, pushing a final vote on the amendments to the Senate’s next sitting, which is likely to happen in September.

Lindsay Simmons, the Junior Minister of Home Affairs, introduced the Bill only after moving to the second reading was approved 6-5 following a vote.

Ms Simmons said the Bill would “deliver on the Government’s commitment to improving affordability in Bermuda” and that the legislative changes were built to bring “transparency and oversight”.

“The Bill before the house today is the most substantial reform of the legislation since its creation,” the senator said.

She added: “Bermuda does not walk this road alone, and it is not the first place to introduce Bills of this nature.”

Citing the work of the Regulatory Authority and the BMA, Ms Simmons said the amendment would put “a watchman at the gate, which has stood unguarded”.

John Wight said he was opposed to government intervention in any businesses operating in a free market and that the information being asked for was “intrusive” and “disturbing”.

The independent senator said: “In my view, the Government does an excellent job in supporting international businesses. Why can’t we do more to support Bermuda businesses?”

Mr Wight added: “Price controls, other than for rent, pharmaceuticals and energy, have never worked effectively in any country I’ve researched.

“I strongly request that the Government reconsider this amendment. I will certainly not support it.”

Tarik Smith, the OBA senator, also voiced concerns over the Bill’s “very significant changes”.

He asked whether any consultation had taken place before its drafting and if freight and global fuel prices had been analysed.

He said: “There’s no question that I think all Bermudians feel the cost of living in this country.

“The Opposition will always support meaningful reforms; equally it is our job to scrutinise.”

Tawana Tannock, the independent senator, said she had received a number of requests for further information from individuals with concerns and that she felt the Bill was being “rushed”.

Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General, said that the legislation was about transparency and making sure that duty relief on essential goods was passed along to customers.

She said: “This amendment is meant to deal with transparency. It doesn’t mean that suddenly the Government is going in and telling shopkeepers to change their prices.”

Ms Wilkinson said that for the Government to craft policies that will address the cost of living, it needed to have the power to access information, which the amendments would allow.

She added that the Government should not be bound by what was said in 2020 as circumstances facing the island had evolved.

The Government said in 2020 that it would not introduce price controls.

Victoria Cunningham, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, responded that cost of living was very much an issue facing the island in 2020, but the chairman of the commission had told the Senate that price controls were not the goal.

She said that prices in Bermuda are overwhelmingly driven by external sources that are not touched on by the Bill, noting that the cost of eggs tripled in a matter of months last year because of avian flu, not the actions of local retailers.

Mischa Fubler, meanwhile, said that price controls were used in numerous other jurisdictions to protect the public from price increases in essential goods.

The government senator further argued that with modern information management systems used by local businesses, it should be “trivial” for businesses to gather and submit the required data.

Ryan Robinson Perinchief, the government senator, said that the Government has a mandate to protect those who live on the island and build a fairer, more equitable Bermuda.

He noted that last year the Government granted $4.6 million in duty relief for essential goods, and the Bill would allow the Government to confirm that the relief is being passed on to the public.

Mr Robinson Perinchief said: “You have various sellers who say they are passing the savings of the duty relief on to consumers and we have no way to verify that.”

While government senators voted for the legislation to progress to a third reading and be passed, the three independent senators joined the three opposition senators to vote against the motion, pushing the third reading until the next sitting of the Senate, which will not be until September.