20 May 2020, 18:30
The Verkhovna Rada has passed today the following draft bills/resolutions to presently emerge as full-blown pieces of legislation:
Bill No.2390: First reading – The parliament adopted the bill No.2390 “On amendments to the Bankruptcy Code of Ukraine (as to the measures aimed to cover backlog of debts of the wholesale electricity market)” on the first reading. The bill is purposed to create appropriate conditions for the transition to a new competitive model of the electricity market in Ukraine at the level of government, within the timeframe set by the Law of Ukraine "On the electricity market". Appropriate changes will be made to the Bankruptcy Code of Ukraine.
Bill No.2458: First reading – The Verkhovna Rada took the bill No.2458 “On amendments to some laws of Ukraine aimed to settle certain issues of supplying housing and utilities services” on the first reading.
The bill aspires to improve the current legislation in the field of housing and communal services, as well as to regulate the transition period issues arising in connection with the entry into force of the Law of Ukraine "On housing and communal services" from May 1, 2019. The bill is set to amend a number of branch-wise pieces of legislation.
Bill No.2560: First reading – Parliamentarians adopted on the first reading the bill No.2560 “On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine (as to the determination of investigative jurisdiction for criminal offences pretrial investigation of which is conducted by interrogators of the State Bureau of Investigations)”.
The draft law is intended to redraft part four of Article 216 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and Article 5 of the Law of Ukraine “On the State Bureau of Investigations”. The bill purposes to supplement Article 216 of the Criminal Procedure Code with posts of the chairman and members of the Central Election Commission, the Accounting Chamber, Crimean parliamentarians, oblast and city councils’ deputies, local government officials and other high-level dignitaries and office-holders whose probable offences would fall to SBI probers at the pretrial stage.
Bill No.3304: First reading – The parliament approved the first reading of the bill No.3304 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine 'On the National Agency for finding, tracing and management of assets derived from corruption and other crimes'” (ARMA).
The draft law is aimed at improving the legal regulation of relations arising in connection with the representation and protection of Ukraine’s rights and interests in foreign jurisdictions in disputes and cases concerning property (assets), which directly or indirectly comes from the jurisdiction of Ukraine, has signs of illegal origin and which under the legislation of Ukraine may be seized in criminal proceedings; preparations for such representation and defence.
The bill provides for amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the National Agency for finding, tracing and management of assets derived from corruption and other crimes", supplementing it with a new section IV-1 "Representation and protection of Ukraine's rights and interests in foreign jurisdictions".
Bill No.0032: Second reading – The parliament endorsed the second reading of the bill No.0032 on the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents.
The Сonvention was executed in Tromso on June 18, 2009. This Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date on which ten member States of the Council of Europe have expressed their consent to be bound by the Convention.
This new law shall come into effect on the day following its promulgation.
Bill No.3415: First reading - The parliament took the bill No.3415 “On amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine regarding the special consideration procedure for second-reading bills”.
The bill aims to improve the special consideration procedure for second-reading bills by redrafting Article 119-1 of the Verkhovna Rada’s rules of procedure. The effect of this new rule is seen to be limited by the quarantine term established by the ministers plus thirty days.
The bill is also intended to up the lower limit for applying this special procedure to 500-1,000 amendments per document; entitle each MP to pick up one proposal (amendment), rejected by the committee, to an article (clause) of a bill taken on the first reading, and to insist on its being voted having only a 5-minute time-limit for proving.
The bill also makes provision that once agreed for second reading under the special procedure, such bills are to be so viewed even after the above “quarantine-end + 30 days” term is called off.