BRATISLAVA, November 22, (WEBNOVINY) — Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrusovsky of the coalition KDH has convened the 26th session of the lawmaking body, which will begin at 1:00 P.M. on November 29 and will be the this year’s last scheduled session of parliament. Lawmakers should discuss 99 items on the preliminary agenda, including four president-vetoed bills, decide on adoption of the draft bill on salaries of constitutional officials in fast-track legislative procedure to achieve freezing the salaries of lawmakers, members of the Cabinet, President, and Prosecutor General. Parliament will attempt to elect heads and officials of several government agencies. MPs will elect Chairman and two Vice Chairmen of the Supreme Audit Office, Ombudsman, a member of the Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission, a member of the Regulatory Council, a member of the Council of the Slovak Radio and Television and candidates for members of committees executing selection procedures for vacant posts of judges. The package of president-vetoed bill includes the revision to the law on the Judicial Council, judges and lay-judges, municipal taxes and labor inspection.
Among the most important items on the agenda of the December session will be the state budget bill for 2012, so MPs will discuss draft bills necessary to pave the way to the state budget’s approval for 2012 first. Discussion on the „law of the year“ has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 6. Finance Minister Ivan Miklos (SDKU-DS) has admitted the looming threat of a provisional budget in 2012 should representatives of four parties of the former ruling coalition fail to reach an agreement to support the government draft. Leader of the Ordinary People group, independent MP Igor Matovic conditions support for the budget upon freezing the salaries of politicians and changes to state funding of political parties. Miklos said that Chairman of the SaS party, with three Ordinary People MPs in its deputy caucus, Richard Sulik has declared support to the budget. Lawmakers will also deal with higher salaries of nurses when they will vote on the draft bill on minimal remuneration of nurses and midwives.
The agenda for the convened parliament session also comprises over fifty proposals of members of parliament that the plenum has been holding over since the June session. Hrusovsky also put forward his proposal for a constitutional bill abolishing of so-called Meciar’s amnesties and on abolishing deputy immunity for minor offenses, which was approved in the first reading on May 31 and is waiting for the second reading for almost six months now. Deputies will also debate a reduction in parental allowances and a child birth contributions for unemployed parents or the revision to the law on parliamentary election tailored by Ordinary People deputies. Parliament will also view the draft amendment to the law on hunting which intends to restrict shooting stray cats and dogs in hunting districts. The lawmaking body will also deal with implementation of prenuptial agreements into Slovak legal system suggested by social democrats. Anna Belousova and Rudolf Pucik want to push through a draft bill obliging candidates for mayors to have completed at least high school education.
SITA