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The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast
December 17, 2009. XXXIV Session of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma
As always, Boris Maltsev, Speaker of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma, opened the session (opening speech).
In two readings the deputies passed amendments to the current budget of the Tomsk Territorial Compulsory Health Insurance Fund. It was decided to increase by 14.1m rubles the revenues and expense items that are involved in the implementation of the National Priority Project ‘Health’.
The budget of the Tomsk Territorial Compulsory Health Insurance Fund for 2010 and planning period of 2011 and 2012 was adopted in the second reading. It was prepared for the second reading taking into account the decision of the Budget Conference Committee which was involved in preparation of the draft budget of Tomsk Oblast for 2010-2012. The revenues and expenses of the Fund's 2010 budget totaled 4,354.9m rubles. The draft 2010 budget has not yet included allocations from the budget of the Federal Compulsory Health Insurance Fund. The budget does not have deficit, revenues and expenses are in balance.
The deputies amended the Oblast Law on subventions to the local budgets in 2010 to secure state guarantees of the citizens’ right to free public education. The plan is to spend 2.6bn rubles for that purpose. The deputies also put financing norms in more detail in view of implementation of a new remuneration system in educational institutions. Besides, a regional norm for financing specialized schools was added.
In the second reading the deputies adopted an amendment to the Law ‘On municipal elections in Tomsk Oblast’ to cancel the second round of Mayor elections. Grigory Shamin, Chairman of the Legal Committee, presented the bill and emphasized that the deputies on the Committee have considered the opinion of the Oblast Election Committee and approved the proposal on elections of the heads of municipal entities by a simple majority vote.
The bill provoked a discussion among the deputies which the Tomsk Oblast Governor, Viktor Kress, had to stop.
‘I believe that if we pass the bill, it should be one of the most democratic decisions ever. By doing so, we encourage the voters to make a conscientious choice. This is what democracy is. It is the power of the majority with due account of the minority’s opinion. We were led to such a decision having analyzed our previous election experience. Today, the second round of elections is simply an abuse: I have voted for a candidate who lost the first round, and now I am forced to vote for somebody else. This is the ground for corruption, and destabilization of the society.’
In two readings the deputies adopted the Law ‘On making amendments to the Tomsk Oblast Law ‘On approval of the Oblast Target Program ‘Patriotic Education in Tomsk Oblast for 2006-2010’. The amendments imply an increase in financing from the Oblast budget in 2010 by 4.6m rubles to make the total cost of the Program about 21m rubles. The deputy Vladimir Kravchenko, who presented the bill, explained that in its essence the bill is a rectification of injustice towards organizations that deal with patriotic education of children and youth. In 2008 financial aid for those organizations was dramatically reduced. According to Mr. Kravchenko, the most striking example of such an injustice was the Tomsk Avia Sports Club which then ended up on the brink of closure. However, in spite of those circumstances the club members took the fourth place in the relevant Russian rating.
The deputies adopted the Law of Tomsk Oblast ‘On 2010 Oblast budget and planning period of 2011 and 2012’. The document was prepared for the second reading by the Budget Conference Committee established at the November session of the Duma which consisted of 10 deputies and 10 representatives of the Tomsk Oblast Administration.
The Conference Committee changed the budget in the following manner. The revenues plan was increased by 557.2m rubles. The money were distributed among the most challenging areas such as road management, 206m rubles more, overhaul of regional and municipal institutions, 120m rubles more. Also, additional 150m rubles were supplied to the reserve for a transition to industry-related labor remuneration systems to make the reserve total 675m rubles. Now it is clear that the labor remuneration expenses will not go below the current level.
The budget for the next year, like all previous budgets, has a social orientation. The primary issue considered by the deputies was salaries, subsidies and allowances to the population. The deputies’ aim was not to allow even a kopeck escape the Oblast citizens. Social payments have not been adjusted this year but all payments and guarantees will definitely be preserved in the next year.
All comments and proposals announced by the deputies, representatives of the administrative municipal entities and members of the Council of Public Initiatives were fixed in the Register for Proposals and Comments which was considered at the special session of the Budget Conference Committee. Approximately 40% of the proposals were registered.
The Oblast Law ‘On suspension of Tomsk Oblast Laws unfunded in 2010’ was passed in its second reading. The only difference between the final and initial revisions is that the Budget Conference Committee decided to partially finance the Oblast Target Program “Improvement and Development of Motor-roads in Tomsk Oblast by 2010”. The deputies allocated 47.9m rubles for that purpose.
The Duma Rules of Procedure were amended. The Rules regulate the right of the Tomsk Oblast Governor to address the Tomsk Oblast State Duma with the information on the results of consideration of critical comments and proposals of the deputies at the Duma sessions. The deputies use their right to make statements almost at each Duma session. And frequently the deputies criticize the executive authorities in their statements. However, the right to respond to such comments has not been regulated by the Duma Rules of Procedure so far.
The deputies adopted in two readings the amendments to a number of Oblast Target Programs. They increased financing of the Program ‘Development of Investment Activity in Tomsk Oblast for 2009-2010’ by 4.5m rubles. The increase relates to construction of the SEZ infrastructure.
Following the results of the contest among the Russian regions to receive federal subsidies to support small business, Tomsk Oblast gained additional financing for 95m rubles to cover the Guarantee Fund activity. This was considered in amending the Target Program ‘Development of Medium and Small Business in Tomsk Oblast in 2008-2010’.
An amendment was introduced into the Oblast Target Program ‘Social Development of Rural Areas by 2012’. It concerns an increase in financing by 105.7m rubles by including implementation of a pilot project in complex construction and improvement of rural settlements into the Program.
Additional financing for 2009 was approved within the Program ‘Modernization of Utilities Infrastructure in Tomsk Oblast in 2006-2010’ – almost 8.5m rubles. The funds will be spent for construction of main heating system.
Individual Tomsk Oblast legislative acts were amended as regards social support measures. From January 1, 2010 the apartment and utilities payments will be monetized. The adopted amendment gives the possibility of gradual transition upon the schedule approved by the Tomsk Oblast Administration. This will facilitate public awareness efforts, testing of the above monetary payments mechanism, taking into account the municipal entity peculiarities, in order to improve the procedure of the monetary payment granting.
The latest corrections for the passing year concerned the Oblast Budget Law. With the amendments considered the revenues amounted to 31,296m rubles, including fiscal – 19,853m rubles – and non-fiscal – 32,464m rubles, the Oblast budget deficit – 1,168m rubles or 5.88% to the Oblast budget revenues without financial support from the federal budget. With the amendments considered the total sum of expenses covering investment and innovation activity in 2009 will make 3,893m rubles.
The Tomsk Oblast State Duma and the Federation Council of the RF Federal Assembly decided to introduce a consolidated legislative initiative. The bill stipulates toughening of penalties for officers and judicial entities earlier exposed to administrative punishment for administrative offences envisaged by the following RF Code Articles for administrative offences: 7.22 (violation of regulations for maintaining and repairing of dwelling houses and (or) living quarters) and 7.23 (violation of norms providing utility services for population)
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