Committees round-up: Daily

• Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy

At its recent sitting, the body viewed the bill No.3087 (and Nos.3087-1, 3087-d as its alternates) on the establishment of an economic security bureau (ESB) (or a department of economic security).

The bill is purposed to separate the service and law enforcement functions of the tax office, eliminate Tax Militia, optimize the structure and number of bodies that fight financial crimes, eliminate duplication of their functions and create a bureau on economic security (ESB).

The bill frames the legal basis for the creation of an independent state body in charge of making analytical assessment, preventing, exposing, terminating, investigating and detecting crimes in the field of formation and use of public funds, economic security.

The bill aims to set up the ESB and establish the following conceptual provisions for its functioning:

-      ESB takes action about preventing, exposing, terminating, investigating and detecting crimes in the field of formation and use of public funds;

-      Total number of ESB employees must not exceed 3,000 men;

-      ESB director and its deputies are subject to competitive selection to be conducted pursuant to the established procedure;

-      ESB detectives are to be empowered to carry out operational and investigative activities, as well as pre-trial investigation of crimes;

-      ESB has direct access to automated information and reference systems, registers and data banks administered by state bodies;

-      Within ESB, there will be functioning an internal security unit to prevent, detect and respond to instances of corruption and to monitor close adherence to the in-house trade- and ethics-related standards;

-      ESB is to quarterly promulgate a performance report on its official website;

-      Tax Militia is to cease to exist and the SBU’s economic counterintelligence units will also be given the axe.

Committeemen discussed all the three bills and finally decided to support the bill No.3087-d, having thus recommended that the Parliament take it on the first reading.

• Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy

At its 1 July sitting, the committee considered the following bills and made respective conclusions:

Bills Nos.2693 (repeat first reading), 2693-2 “On the media”. Conclusions: the bill No.2693 – taking on the first reading recommended, the bill No.2693-2 - subject to rejection.

Bill No.0040 “On the ratification of the Audio-Video Co-production Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of Canada”. Conclusions: bill No.0040 – promotion and support recommended.

Bill No.3696 “On amendments to the Budget Code of Ukraine and other Ukrainian acts of law as to the financing for tourism development”. The document aims to formalize in legislation further elaborating of a single strategic document with long-term goals based on the analysis of problems, solutions and specific measures, deadlines, sources of funding, responsible doers and performance indicators.

At the same time, there will be made amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On local self-government in Ukraine" in order to allow village, settlement, city councils to exclusively make decisions on the formation of local funds for tourism development, approve regulations concerning these funds.

• Committee on Freedom of Speech

At its 1 July sitting, the committee reviewed the bill No.3633 “On amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine concerning severer responsibility for criminal offences against correspondents”.

The document aims to strengthen the protection of journalists, their close relatives and members of their families against threats or violence in connection with conducting their, the journalists’, legitimate professional activities, as well as in the event of obstruction of their legitimate professional activities. The committee supported the bill and advised the line committee to recommend that the parliament take it on both readings.

• Committee on Rules of Procedure, Parliamentary Ethics and Administration of Verkhovna Rada’s Work

The list of bills considered:

Bill No.3693 on the establishment of a VRU temporary committee of inquiry to probe likely wrongful decisions of local government officials.

Bill No.3608 “On amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine concerning the calendar of plenary sittings”. Taking it on both readings was considered advisable.

Bill No.3642 “On amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the status of a Ukrainian parliamentary’, to the Law of Ukraine ‘On committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’ concerning reasons for absence of parliamentarians at plenary and committee sittings”. Taking it on both readings was considered advisable.

Bill No.3644 “On amendments to Article 34 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On the status of a Ukrainian parliamentary’”. Taking it on both readings was considered advisable.

Resolution No.3645 “On amendments to the Statute on parliamentary assistant of a Ukrainian parliamentarian and to the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ‘On the financial provision of activity of a Ukrainian member of parliament’”. Taking it on the second readings was considered advisable.

Committeemen also examined a tentative work schedule of the fourth session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the IX convocation (Sep 2020 - Jan 2021).