There are //// bodies in focus of our committee scan today:
Committee on State Building, Local Governance, Regional and Urban Development
The committee recommended that the amendments bill No.2189 to the law on voluntary association (amalgamation) of territorial communities be adopted on the first reading and in tote. The said bill was tabled by the Cabinet to activate and streamline the process of forming able and sustainable territorial communities.
The bill is to amend the Law of Ukraine "On voluntary amalgamation of territorial communities", thus stipulating that such association is carried out in accordance with the provisional (prospective) plans of communities formation.
Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence
After thorough scrutiny, the сommittee recommended that the Verkhovna Rada adopt on the second reading (and in tote) the bill No.0905 amending Ukrainian law with respect to providing maintenance engineering of Ukraine’s state border. The relevant committee sitting took place on October 10.
In addition, there were discussed the committee’s draft second session action plan for the period of September 2019-January 2020 together with some issues regarding activities of the committee’s working groups. On October 7-8 the committeemen visited the Joint Forces Operation area and delivered their report on the visit results.
Committee on State Building, Local Governance, Regional and Urban Development
On October 9, the committee set up a working group in charge of drafting and preparing the second reading of the draft law No.2143-3 "On the City of Kyiv - the Capital of Ukraine". The first reading of this bill was passed on October 3, 2019. The newly established group expects to invite a wide range of experts in debates on the bill.
As co-chairmen of the group, there were appointed to be the Chairman of the Committee on State Building, Local Governance, Regional and Urban Development Andrii Klochko and the Chairman of the Sub-committee on Local Governance and Populace Self-organization Bodies Dmytro Hurin. As their deputies, there were assigned members of parliament Vitalii Bezghin and Hanna Bondar.
Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into EU
The committee met on October 9 with the Deputy Finance Minister Pavlo Khodakovskyi.
In the course of the meeting, there were considered and approved draft bills on ratification of the Amendment protocol to the Convention between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income (No.0003) and the Protocol between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital gains (No.0006, made in London on February 10, 1993).
In addition, members of the committee thoroughly examined a number of draft laws to make sure they are in line with EU law and/or Ukraine's international legal obligations under the Association Agreement.
The bills Nos. 2066 and 2133 were endorsed by the members of the committee and recognized to have not contravened the Association Agreement, European Union law and/or Ukraine's international legal obligations.
The bill No.2066 requires that hazardous waste management licensees be in possession of material and technical facilities, premises and sites to carry out such activities.
The purpose of the draft law No. 2133 is to regulate legal relationships arising in the process of organizing and conducting debt collection activities, with the aim of protecting the rights and legitimate interests of debtors against fraudulent actions undertaken by actors of debt collection activities.
The committeemen then considered and approved the draft resolution No.2073 regarding Verkhovna Rada’s appeal to the European Commission For Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) as to providing its findings on constitutional amendments initiated by the President of Ukraine.
The committee also confirmed its conclusions upon draft laws, which are governed by national legislation of European Union member states and do not fall within the scope of Ukraine's international legal obligations in the field of European integration.
Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ Rights
The committee recommends that the Verkhovna Rada adopt the second reading of the bill No.1231, which is meant to introduce verification and monitoring of government transfer payments to be made at the expense of state and local budgets, social and pension insurance funds, etc.
The bill was drafted to increase the level of targeting of governmental benefits, promote developing the social security system, and ensure an effective application of budgetary resources, including the tool of verification. Verification of payments is defined as a set of measures for collecting and verifying reliability of information used for awarding, calculating or making social payments. The bill is aimed at pursuing justice in the area of subsidies and other social transfers. It is proposed to introduce a verification platform for state pay-outs - pensions, benefits, allowances, subsidies, scholarships, and other payments made at the expense of state and/or local budgets, compulsory state social and pension insurance funds. It is planned to check registers, not people.
In order to finalize the second reading of the bill, there was set up a working group under the committee, with the membership of quite a wide expert representation, including representatives of central executive bodies, trade unions and employers, as well as members of parliament.
As a result of the discussion, the committee members recommended that the draft law be adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on the second reading and in tote.