ROME – A report from the President of the Regional Assembly of Sicily, Gaetano Galvagno, has revealed that in the first part of the year, the Sicilian parliament approved just six laws, all or almost all of them compulsory (mainly financial laws), leaving a backlog of around 400 bills, as reported by Il Fatto Quotidiano.

 These 400 bills are waiting their turn in legislative committees. Some deal with important issues such as care for the elderly or vulnerable young people. Others are more curious and do not touch on the many issues which afflict Sicily.

 For instance, a bill filed by the Fratelli d'Italia group is calling for every new parent in Sicily to be provided with the yellow and red Sicilian flag. For the distribution of the flags, the Sicilian Region will shell out 200,000 euros a year, if the bill passes.

 This proposal to celebrate new births clashes with the most recent Istat data, which has highlighted that in Sicily, the proportion of childless families is destined to grow .

 “The flag of Sicily sums up the history of the island: in its yellow and red background it welcomes the triskelion, the gorgoneion - the head of Medusa with wings representing wisdom - and three ears of wheat that are an omen of wealth coming from the earth; it has been the official symbol of the Region since 2000,” the text of the bill states, signed by Fdi group leader Giorgio Assenza and deputy Giusi Savarino.

The concrete text of the bill reads: “we propose to pay homage to the approximately 40,000 Sicilian births per year (2018 figure) with the flag and the Special Statute of the Sicilian Region, which will bear the costs.”

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