The State Duma approved the calendar for consideration of bills for May

Last week the State Duma approved the calendar for consideration of bills for May. Deputies, in particular, plan to completely ban drug propaganda, limit access in libraries to books by foreign agents and extremists, and also introduce fines for disembarking disabled people from transport. But the main business of the lower house of parliament in May is expected to be the first approval of the new government since the constitutional reform of 2020.

As First Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov (United Russia, United Russia) reported to TASS on April 12, the procedure for approving government candidates is still being discussed, and the final decision will be made by the Duma Council. Its next meeting will be held on May 6. Before this, the deputies will first work in the regions (from April 15 to 21), and then go on a two-week vacation.

“According to the work procedure and regulations of the Duma, the candidacy of the chairman of the government of the Russian Federation, presented by the president, will first be considered within a week from the date of submission of the proposal. The candidate is presented by the President of the Russian Federation or his authorized representative in the State Duma,” said Mr. Zhukov. Then the deputies will consider the candidacies of deputy prime ministers and “civilian” ministers. Candidates can be nominated by the prime minister, the government’s plenipotentiary representative in the Duma, or another authorized person. Deputies will also consider them within a week after the prime minister submits a corresponding proposal.

As Alexander Zhukov noted, the candidates will first be discussed in the relevant Duma committees, and then at the plenary session of the chamber. According to its regulations, candidates will present their programs, then answer questions from deputies, after which representatives of factions will speak. The dates for consideration of these issues have not yet been determined, however, the meetings on May 7, 8, 16 and 23 have been left “empty” in the May calendar.

Let us recall that the State Duma has so far used its new constitutional rights only selectively: in November 2020, deputies approved one deputy prime minister (Alexander Novak) and five ministers, and in July 2022 they gave the go-ahead for the appointment of the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov as deputy chairman of the government.

“The procedure for the State Duma to publicly accept candidates for public office or evaluate their work, in accordance with constitutional powers, is always prescribed by a separate decision of the Duma council,” explains Pavel Sklyanchuk, a member of the RASO political technologies committee. “Firstly, a schedule of preliminary consultations with factions is approved. Secondly, the minute timing of speeches and the number of questions from deputies, including in writing, are determined. Thirdly, the order of speeches and wording in the final resolution of the State Duma is determined.” In fact, much will depend on how uncontroversial specific candidacies turn out to be, as well as on the timing of their official presentation to parliament, the expert notes: “For example, the maximum time frame for the president to submit a candidacy for the chairman of the government is 14 days, and consideration by the Duma is seven days, then 14 days are again allotted for the presentation of a new cabinet of ministers and again a week for their consideration. In this regard, the deputies, of course, will try not to delay the process of personnel appointments for more than a few plenary sessions, but they will not rush to implement their new powers.” As Mr. Sklyanchuk believes, based on the results of the review, it will even be possible to hand over to the ministers copies of State Duma resolutions on their approval: “Still, such subjectivity of parliament, according to the Constitution, happens once every six years, and the event should become memorable.”

Among other issues scheduled for consideration next month, as usual, there are many government initiatives. Thus, on May 14, the Duma will consider the issue of denouncing the agreement between the government of the Russian Federation and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the establishment and conditions of operation of information and cultural centers. On May 15, deputies plan to ratify an agreement between the governments of Russia and China on cooperation in the creation of an International Scientific Lunar Station. On the same day, it is planned to consider the bill banning the promotion of illicit drug trafficking and consumption, adopted in the first reading a year ago. The document clarifies the very concept of such propaganda and gives its defining characteristics. The law will not apply to works of science, literature and art published before January 1, 2024. If such works appeared later, then their public distribution will have to be accompanied by information about the dangers of drugs and responsibility for their illegal trafficking.

The second reading of the Supreme Court’s amendments to the Criminal Code (CC) on the immediate release of seriously ill prisoners is scheduled for May 21 (adopted in the first reading on March 12). According to current legislation, such persons must remain in custody for at least another 15 days after the relevant court decision. If the prosecution appeals the court’s decision, the release of the seriously ill patient may be delayed for several months.

There are also a number of notable parliamentary initiatives in the plans for May. For example, on May 28, the State Duma will consider in the first reading amendments to the law “On Libraries” introduced by a group of members of the Culture Committee led by its chairman Elena Yampolskaya (ER). The project proposes to limit access in libraries to books by writers included in the register of foreign agents engaged in extremist activities or involved in terrorism. As the authors note in the explanatory note, now such literature is in the public domain and “in this way, authors whose activities are directed against the security of the Russian Federation are promoted and positioned.” The list of documents created by foreign agents and authors involved in extremism and terrorism will be compiled by the Ministry of Culture. To give him time to do this, the authors proposed delaying the entry into force of the law until September 1, 2024.

On May 28, the Duma is going to discuss in the second reading amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses from the LDPR faction to establish liability for the forced disembarkation of ticketless disabled people of group I from public transport (approved in the first reading on February 1). The fine for this violation will be 5 thousand rubles. for drivers and from 20 thousand to 30 thousand rubles. for officials.

And finally, on May 30, the Duma will consider in the second reading a bill on the right of compatriots who participated in international school Olympiads as part of teams of other countries to enter Russian universities without entrance tests (adopted in the first reading on February 28). The authors were the chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs Leonid Kalashnikov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation), the head of the Committee on Science and Higher Education Sergei Kabyshev (“A Just Russia – For Truth”) and his first deputy Alexander Mazhuga (United Russia). Currently, only members of Russian teams participating in international Olympiads in general education subjects, as well as winners and prize-winners of All-Russian Olympiads, have this right.

Ksenia Veretennikova