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The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast
April 23, 2009. XXVII Session of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma
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22 items on the agenda.
In April 2009, the Tomsk Oblast State Duma celebrates its 15-year Anniversary! Therefore, the XXVII Session of the Duma was the anniversary one. At the beginning of the Session Boris Maltsev, Speaker of the Oblast Duma, Viktor Kress, Governor of Tomsk Oblast, Alexander Kaigorodov, Chief Justice of the Tomsk Oblast Court, Vasiliy Voikin, Prosecutor of Tomsk Oblast and Vladimir Zhidkikh, representative member of the Federation Council of the RF Federal Assembly from the Tomsk Oblast State Duma, Chairman of the Youth and Sports Committee of the Federation Council, addressed the deputies with their congratulations.
The Oblast deputies by a majority vote relieved Sergei Tochilin from his office of First Deputy Governor of Tomsk Oblast.
Recommendation for relief was introduced to the Duma by Viktor Kress, Governor of Tomsk Oblast. He noted that the administration structure should correspond to the actual life conditions:
‘When we were at the stage of quick-pace development, it was reasonable to have two blocks headed by two First Deputy Governors supervising revenue and expenditure items of the budget in the Tomsk Oblast Administration. Now we are in crisis conditions… It is feasible to place economic and financial blocks under one First Deputy Governor. Another First Deputy Governor will supervise a socio-political block.’Sergei Tochilin was proposed a vacant position of Deputy Governor for special commissions. He will continue a dialog with Rosatom regarding construction of a nuclear power station, arrangement of a Center for Nuclear Medicine, construction and repair of new schools and gasification as well.
Voting for relief from the office was done by ballot.
The Oblast deputies agreed upon appointment of Sergei Ilinykh to office of the First Deputy Governor. It was a secret ballot as well.
Sergei Ilinykh is among the first hundred of the President Succession Pool.According to Viktor Kress, Sergei Ilinykh as the First Deputy Governor will continue to improve social policy and social security of the population, he will be in charge of personnel policy, development and support for the local authorities, information policy, and will organize meaningful work with political parties and public organizations.
Sergei Ilinykh said that he takes on all the responsibility rest upon him:
‘Social block, personnel matters, information policy, community work are rather challenging. In the current socio-economic situation it is obvious that the administration system should change. The Initiative of the President requires modernization both of social and political spheres; and these two matters in the current conditions come closer to each other and gain primary importance.'
Sergei Ilinykh thanked the deputies for their support and promised to fulfill the assigned tasks to the benefit of Tomsk Oblast.
In view of the changes in the Budget Code of the Russian Federation and in a number of federal and regional laws, the Law “On budgeting process in Tomsk Oblast” was adjusted accordingly. Chief Controller of the regional budget shall be vicariously liable for cash commitments of a subordinate budget-funded entity. The Law was also supplemented by a regulation that the deadlines for submitting documents for regional budgeting process shall be determined annually by a legislative act of the Governor. The Governor was granted a right to submit for consideration by the Duma bills on changes in dates of entry into force of certain provisions of the Law which do not imply financing.
The document will continue to be developed. It will be adjusted to meet the recommendations made by law enforcement agencies and the Control Chamber of the Oblast Duma before the second reading.
Boris Maltsev, Speaker of the Oblast Duma, highlighted that although the Law “On budgeting process in Tomsk Oblast” may be changed, an important principle must always be followed: the Oblast deputies should always retain a possibility to represent interests of their electors in a most comprehensive manner.
The deputies approved allocation of budget funds for provision of housing to the veterans of World War II, 1941-1945. Those allocations are meant to help obtain decent housing to each of 41 veterans registered as in need of improved living conditions before January 1, 2005.
The Duma increased subventions to special municipal pre-schools and secondary schools and educational institutions on the basis of extended care facilities for children who need continuing care.
The Oblast deputies amended the Law of Tomsk Oblast “On 2009 Oblast budget and planning period of 2010 and 2011” in two readings.
It was the first time when the deputies dealt with neither allocation of additional revenues, nor accommodation of additional expenses, but significant budget sequestration. The revenues were cut by 935m rubles, expenses by 2,583m rubles. This is a way to shape a deficit-free budget.
The amended budget revenues are 30,797m rubles, including tax and non-tax revenues 21,428m rubles, non-repayable receipts 9,369m rubles, expenses 30,797m rubles. As of January 1, 2010, the internal debt of the region will be 7,571m rubles or 35.3% of the total revenues, excluding non-repayable receipts.
The revenue item was reduced by means of two taxes – income and severance taxes.
Evgeny Rubtsov, Deputy Chairman of the Budgetary and Financial Committee of the Oblast Duma, said:
‘It was a reasonable measure in times of a severe economic crisis. Enterprises are losing profit. The number of companies working at a loss grows steadily; oil is getting cheaper and cheaper. We have to admit that we might face budget deficit even in a sequestration scenario. And we have to work hard to collect taxes.’
The deputies passed one more Resolution requesting the Oblast Administration to grant government guarantees to Tomsk Oblast in an amount up to 500m rubles in 2009 for the regional construction organizations to obtain credit facilities in order to finish construction of almost complete housing in 2009. The Resolution was passed with a purpose to protect interests of the Oblast citizens who share construction costs with the builders in times of crisis, and improve availability of accommodation to the population.
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