The Committee on Legislation: the spring session results

The most significant legislations that the deputies of the Committee on Legislation, Protection of Citizens' Rights and Freedoms worked on during the spring session are in the review by the Supreme Council press service.

The Youth Health

It will be prohibited to sell vapes to minors. The Supreme Council adopted amendments to the relevant laws on July 10. The new regulations will come into force two weeks after they are signed by the President. The restrictions apply to nicotine-free vapes. They were equated to nicotine-containing products due to the content of harmful dyes and additives. Nicotine-containing products like tobacco products should not be available to persons under 18 years of age. This is the position of the deputies of the Legislation Committee Galina Antyufeeva, Grigory Dyachenko and Valery Babchinetsky, who initiated the changes to the legislation.

The deputies increased administrative liability for the sale of tobacco and nicotine-containing products to minors. The fine for citizens is from 40 to 80 minimum wages (from 736 to 1472 rubles), for officials and individual entrepreneurs - from 80 to 150 minimum wages (from 1472 to 2760 rubles), for legal entities - from 150 to 300 minimum wages (from 2760 to 5520 rubles). The fine will be higher for repeated violation of the article of the Code of Administrative Offenses for selling these prohibited products to minors: for citizens in the amount of 160 minimum wages (2944 rubles), for officials and individual entrepreneurs - 300 minimum wages (5520 rubles), for legal entities - 600 minimum wages (11040 rubles).

It will be prohibited like cigarettes to smoke vapes in public places, on playgrounds and beaches, at work, at bus stops, in squares and parks, only in specially designated smoking areas. It is prohibited to involve children in the smoking process. Advertising of vapes will be prohibited.

Tobacco and nicotine-containing products cannot be shown to potential buyers in addition. The names of such goods in stores must be presented as a list in text form. The goods can be shown at the request of the buyer. Changes aimed at tightening the rules for the circulation of nicotine-containing products have been made to 7 laws: "On the protection of citizens' health from the effects of tobacco smoke, the consequences of tobacco consumption and other nicotine-containing mixtures without tobacco content", the Code of Administrative Offenses, "On the protection of children from information harmful to their health and development", "On the basic guarantees of the rights of the child in the PMR", "On advertising", "On excise taxes", "Special tax regime - a simplified taxation system".

Changing a driver's license without exams

Motorists can now change their driver's license without passing qualification exams. Such a simplified procedure was previously valid only for 180 days after the expiration of the document. Passing a medical examination remains mandatory. It is possible to exchange a driver's license before its expiration on the basis of an application. Changes have been adopted in the law "On road safety". The law-in-draft was initiated by the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky.

At the request of citizens

Conscript students will be able to continue their studies during their military service even if there is no correspondence course for their chosen specialty. An individual curriculum will be provided for the young people. Amendments were made to the laws "On Education", "On Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education" and "On the Status of Military Personnel" on the initiative of parliamentarians Galina Antyufeeva, Grigory Dyachenko and Oleg Petrik.

There is no correspondence or evening course according to the Pridnestrovian State University, for example, at the Faculty of Medicine, in some specialties of the Philological and Natural Geography Faculties, and the Physics and Technology Institute. The adopted norms prescribing the possibility of studying according to an individual plan will come into force on September 1.

Sportsmen can continue to participate in international competitions during their military service and receive a salary and travel allowance for this. The Supreme Council prescribed such innovations in the law "On the Status of Military Personnel". The authors of the amendments Galina Antyufeeva, Grigory Dyachenko and Oleg Petrik noted that many sportsmen did not return to high-performance sports after completing military service due to restrictions on sports activities previously.

It has been simplified in Pridnestrovie for children to obtain Pridnestrovian citizenship. A petition from both parents who were citizens of the PMR was required previously in order for a minor to acquire Pridnestrovian citizenship. A child living in our republic will be able to obtain PMR citizenship if one of the parents applies to the passport department at the suggestion of the deputies of the Legislation Committee. The consent of the second parent will no longer be required. The Supreme Council adopted amendments to the Constitutional Law "On Citizenship of the PMR". The deputies prescribed the possibility of acquiring citizenship by a child not only if one of the parents has PMR citizenship, but also in the event that the other parent acquires PMR citizenship together with the child. The consent of the second parent in this case is not required.

Pridnestrovians or foreign citizens will not need to submit an application and documents for re-registration in the event of a change in the address of the place of residence or stay (based on a decision of the local government body) for the convenience of citizens. The registration and migration authorities will carry out this procedure themselves and inform citizens about deregistration and registration at a new place of residence (place of stay). The Supreme Council adopted the amendments proposed by the President of the PMR to the laws "On migration registration of foreign citizens and stateless persons in the PMR" and "On the right of citizens of the PMR to freedom of movement, choice of place of stay and residence within the PMR". The reason was the appeals received by Vadim Krasnoselsky from residents of Tiraspol after the renaming of 25 Oktyabrya Street to Pokrovskaya.

Rights of suspects, accused and convicted persons

A child under the age of 4 can now be near a suspect, accused or convicted mother. The Supreme Council adopted amendments to the law "On the detention of suspects and accused of committing crimes" and to the Criminal Executive Code of the PMR. A child could stay with the mother for up to 3 years previously. The legislations were initiated by deputies of the Committee on Legislation, Protection of Citizens' Rights and Freedoms Galina Antyufeeva, Grigory Dyachenko and Oleg Petrik based on appeals, including from convicted persons. The adopted amendments also gave suspects and accused persons the right to additional visits with a child under 14 years of age, already provided for by the Criminal Executive Code for convicted persons. In addition, the deputies prescribed the possibility for a suspect or accused woman, as well as a man, if he is the only parent, to receive up to 2 additional visits per month with a child under 14 years of age – on weekends and holidays.

The Pridnestrovian legislation has set out specific criteria that the court must take into account when applying parole to convicted persons. The relevant amendments to the legislation, initiated by the PMR Prosecutor Anatoly Guretsky and Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council Galina Antyufeeva on behalf of the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky, have been adopted. Meetings were held at the PMR Prosecutor and at the Supreme Council together with all interested departments before making the amendments. It was studied how to regulate the norms so that the approach to considering parole is the same.

Amendments have been made to the Criminal, Criminal Executive, Criminal Procedure Codes and to the law "On institutions and bodies executing criminal penalties in the form of imprisonment".

Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses

In the Code of Administrative Offenses, deputies clarified the provisions concerning the occurrence of administrative liability for transferring control of a vehicle to a person who does not have the right to drive a car (except for training driving) or who has been deprived of a license (clause 3, Article 12.7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). Such a qualifying feature as knowingness was introduced. Thus, a fine of 50 minimum wages (920 rubles) is threatened for transferring control of a vehicle to a person who clearly does not have a driver's license. Changes to the Code of Administrative Offenses were initiated by parliamentarians Galina Antyufeeva, Oleg Petrik and Grigory Dyachenko.

A separate fine of 10 minimum wages (184 rubles) is prescribed for failure to comply with a sign prohibiting stopping or parking. If there is a sign "Tow truck in operation" under the prohibiting sign, then in the absence of a driver, the car will be sent to the impound lot. Such signs had not been installed until now, and traffic militia officers had questions about whether it was possible to tow a car. Changes were made to the Code of Administrative Offenses at the suggestion of the President.

The Accounts Chamber has acquired the authority to draw up administrative protocols for obstructing inspections (Article 17.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). Deputies of the Supreme Council adopted changes to the Code of Administrative Offenses to promptly take response measures. The changes to the Code of Administrative Offenses were initiated by Supreme Council deputies Galina Antyufeeva, Grigory Dyachenko, Oleg Petrik and Stepan Stepanov.

The use of Nazi or extremist symbols for educational and awareness-raising purposes is legally permitted, but on the condition that Nazism and extremism are condemned and not promoted. Amendments have been made to the Code of Administrative Offenses so that screenings of all documentaries and feature films, including war newsreels, as well as book illustrations, paintings, educational and scientific manuals, and photographs from museums that use Nazi paraphernalia or symbols in the general context of the history of the Great Patriotic War, cannot be considered a violation of the law.

Law on Internal Affairs Bodies

A new law "On the PMR Internal Affairs Bodies" has been adopted and sent to the President of the PMR for consideration. The law defines the status of internal affairs employees, as well as cadets. The legislative foundations of civil service in emergency rescue teams and in fire service units as independent types of civil service in the PMR are consolidated.

The new law prescribes an anti-corruption component in the work of internal affairs bodies. This was prescribed previously at the subordinate level. Accordingly, the new law increases the level of responsibility of employees and makes it possible to apply disciplinary measures for violating corruption norms, explained Radion Chebotar.

The Law “On Militia”, which is about 30 years old, will continue to operate in the legal field of the republic together with the new Law “On the Internal Affairs Bodies of the PMR”.

For the new law to function, amendments were made to a number of specialized laws: "On emergency rescue and fire-fighting services in the PMR", "On the militia", "On higher and postgraduate professional education", "On state pension provision for persons who served in the military, in the internal affairs agencies, in the penal system, in the service of bailiffs, in tax and customs authorities and their families", "On fire safety in the PMR", "On the salaries of public sector employees, the monetary allowance of military personnel and persons equivalent to them in terms of payment of monetary allowance, the monetary allowance of state civil servants", "On state fingerprint registration in the PMR".

Changes for legal entities

Legal entities, like individuals, can apply to the Constitutional Court to protect their rights. The law-in-draft regarding legal entities was initiated by the Chairman of the Supreme Council Alexander Korshunov and his deputy Galina Antyufeeva. Amendments and additions have been made to the Constitutional Law "On the Constitutional Court of the PMR".

Implementation of an electronic system of legal proceedings

A new electronic system of legal proceedings will be implemented in Pridnestrovie. The Supreme Council of the PMR during the spring session adopted a resolution according to which a state target program will be developed for the implementation of the Unified Automated System "Electronic Legal Proceedings in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic". The goal is to improve the quality of the judicial system and minimize possible discrepancies in judicial practice.