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The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast
July 29, 2010. XLI Session of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma
 46 items on the agenda including 28 laws and 3 legislative initiatives.
As always, the Session was opened by Boris Maltsev, Speaker of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma (brief outline of the opening speech).
Amendments were introduced to the Tomsk Oblast Law ‘On allocation of inter-budgetary transfers’, which will give the local budgets RUR 25m to reward the staff of municipal educational institutions in 2010. This money will be shared among 50 schools. The best will be defined by competition. As a result educational institutions will be rated.
The Law ‘On allocation of inter-budgetary transfers’ was amended. The amendments relate to allocation of RUR 69m from the federal budget to purchase motor vehicles. Under the federal program the money were allocated among the regions by population size. Assuming the allocated money from the federal budget and the money found by the municipals to co-finance the program (over RUR 33m), 86 vehicles will be purchased to provide transportation to the population, health care facilities, police subdivisions, freight traffic and municipal needs.
Amendments to the Oblast Target Program ‘Development of small and medium business in Tomsk Oblast for 2008-2010’ were unanimously adopted to increase its financing. This became possible due to the fact that Tomsk Oblast won a federal competition and will additionally get RUR 55m to implement the program.
Most of financial support will be provided to the operating innovation and start-up companies. Certain sum will be given to Euro Info Correspondent Center which is a part of all-Russian system comprising over 40 similar centers. The task of this center is to provide business with access to European and Russian information bases.
Deputy Vladimir Kravchenko asked:
'What is dynamics of small business development? How many companies were opened and closed?’
Reporter, chairman of business development committee in the Oblast Administration Alexander Belyaev, answered that a number of micro-companies grew by 1,000, though a number of small companies dropped by several dozens. A number of small and medium businesses grew by 1,550 - 2,000 entities during the previous year.
The Tomsk Oblast budget was increased by RUR 1bn.
The revenue increased due to unforeseen incomings from corporate income tax (RUR 595m) and incomings from the federal budget for overhaul and repair of motor roads (RUR 490m).
Expenses rose for citizen social support, state support for agricultural production, support for new investment projects including entities of small and medium business, etc.
Also Oblast deputies backed the increase of expenses by RUR 87.3m to support investment and innovative activities. Therefore, the amount of finance allocated in accordance with the Law ‘On the Oblast budget expenses providing for investment and innovative activities in Tomsk Oblast for 2010’ will total RUR 2.6bn.
The amended Oblast budget revenues in 2010 will be RUR 28.571bn, including tax and non-tax revenues – RUR 20.753bn, non-repayable receipts – RUR 7.818bn, expenses – RUR 29.910bn, and deficit – RUR 1.339bn.
A new bill ‘On provision of access to information on activities of the Tomsk Oblast authorities’ was adopted in two readings. This document is aimed at increasing transparency of the authorities for mass media and citizens. In particular, it concerns publishing of information on web-sites of the authorities and location of information stands in the public places. It was also proposed to put public Internet access points in the buildings of the authorities, libraries and other places open to public.
Amendments were introduced to the Law ‘On equality guarantees for political parties of Tomsk Oblast State Duma in covering their activity by regional TV and radio channels’. A number of issues are refined in a new revision of the document. In particular, the Law covers the responsibilities of the Oblast Administration to establish a regional TV- and radio-broadcasting organization within a year.
Within ‘A Governor’s Hour’ Igor Shaturny, Deputy Governor of Tomsk Oblast for Construction, Housing and Utilities, Roads and Emergencies, addressed to the deputies. In his speech he covered the schemes of territory planning of Tomsk Oblast and municipal districts, priority directions of the region development, systems of settlement, forming of Tomsk agglomeration, power supply of the region and transportation arrangement.
The Oblast Law 'On forecasting activity in Tomsk Oblast’ was adopted in two readings. Such law existed in 2003 but the federal legislation is constantly developing, new concepts, approaches appear. Therefore, the Oblast Administration updated the document and submitted it for the Oblast deputies’ consideration. Given the fact that a new regional budget will be approved soon, which is set based on the forecast, the bill was backed. Considering the modern provisions of forecasting theory and practice, as well as requirements of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, the document forms a new conceptual framework, improves a legal platform to develop forecasts for indicators of socio-economic development of the region, and corrects the substantive part of forecasting activity.
In two readings the deputies adopted the Oblast Law ‘On hunting and preservation of hunting species and lands in Tomsk Oblast’. The Law determines the powers of the authorities in the sphere of hunting and preservation of hunting species and lands, enlists hunting species subject to commercial hunting. When passed, the bill will enable to develop a clear legal framework to manage hunting sector, establish a procedure of hunting organization on the legal level, provide implementation of rights of citizens to access hunting resources, guarantee preservation of hunting resources, as well as eliminate the gaps in the legislation regulating this sphere.
In the first reading the deputies approved amendments to Administrative Code of Tomsk Oblast which will allow the deputy investigation commission to work more promptly and effectively. The amendments propose to set liability for non-compliance or poor compliance to the requirements of the deputy investigation commission, for non-attendance of an official of a deputy investigation commission session without any reasonable excuse, for nonobservance of deadlines for information submission, for submission of incomplete or unreliable information required for the deputy investigation.
In the second reading the deputies adopted a new regulation which governs the issues of keeping dogs and cats at home in our regions. Beside keeping pets the document sets the general requirements for trapping stray pets.
‘The law covers a number of responsibilities for owners of cats and dogs,’ said the deputy and the bill author Irina Nikulina. ‘These are: humanist attitude to a pet, public tranquility, nurturing and caring of pets, following vet and sanitary rules.’ The bill was widely discussed. This revision of the document manages to cover the recommendations of both animal advocates and those who stand for strengthening norms of keeping cats and dogs.
The law comprises a list of potentially dangerous dog breeds. Mentally ill, alcohol or drug addicted, as well as legally incompetent person cannot own such breeds.
Besides, the dwellers of apartment houses who want to keep a dog or a cat shall live in a flat with a square of 17 sq.m. at least, including 1 to 4 sq.m. for a pet.
Also the new document requires mandatory registration of dogs. Cats can be registered upon the owners' decision.
‘The main aim of the bill is to reduce the number of stray dogs being a hazard for population,' said deputy Oleg Shuteev. ‘Moreover, sanitary conditions shall be improved, especially in the pet relief areas.
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