Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sums up Senate 2017 results
As the Chair of the Senate highlighted, the MPs fulfilled the assignments set by the Head of State at the opening of the third session and adopted the codes and laws that are important for our country. They include the Tax and Customs Codes, the Subsoil Code, the Laws on the three-year central government budget, on modernizing the procedural framework for law enforcement, and on information and communications. Plus, the senators have made a large set of amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses.
Mr. Tokaev called on the senators to step up awareness-raising activities to inform the population of the content of the adopted legislative acts during the trips scheduled for early January 2018.
The Bureau approved the Senate's 2018 Major Action Plan. In the coming year, the MPs will continue law-making work in the furtherance of the Address of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to the Nation of Kazakhstan. The parliamentary hearings will cover the implementation of the Code "On the Health of the Nation and the Healthcare System", the role of the banking sector in the development of the country's economy, the implementation of "Digital Kazakhstan" Government Program, and the modernization of the procedural framework for law enforcement.
The Chamber is to hold government hours on the following topics - the issues of improving the legislative process; the results of implementing the recommendations of the Parliamentary hearings on the problems of legislative regulation of the secondary education system held on September 22, 2017; the implementation of the Concept on the Republic of Kazakhstan's transition to green economy.
In 2018, Senate committees will hold 15 visiting sessions in various regions of the country. Besides, the Plan includes 13 round tables and 15 meetings of MPs with the leadership of government authorities and other organizations dedicated to the issues of improving legislation, implementing the government programs and developing certain sectors.
One of the Senate's priorities is strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation. The senators will take part in the work of international parliamentary institutions, as well as groups for collaboration with legislative bodies of foreign states.
The international activities of the Chamber also comprise senators' participation in the 6th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which will be held in October 2018.
The Senate Bureau proposed to include the following issues in the agenda of the Chamber session scheduled for December 28, 2017: ratification of the Strategic Partnership Agreement with Turkmenistan, the Agreement on the demarcation of the Kazakh-Turkmen state border, and the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention between the Governments of Kazakhstan and Ireland. Besides, during the session, the senators are expected to consider the Draft Laws "On Appraisal Activities", "On the Victim Compensation Fund" and related amendments to a number of legislative acts, as well as amendments to the Law "On Public Audit and Financial Control".