Second reading of the Draft Act amending the State Budget Act (391 SE)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 3rd session, plenary session.
Date: 2024-05-08 22:03
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 5
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 8m
AI Summaries: 5/5 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The second reading of Draft Bill 391, amending the State Budget Act, initiated by the Riigikogu Finance Committee. The draft bill concerns the procedure for the budgets of constitutional institutions and is aimed at increasing their independence; on the one hand, it stipulates that the budget requests of constitutional institutions shall be approved by the Riigikogu Finance Committee before the final phases of the state budget bill procedure, and on the other hand, the government retains the right to provide an assessment and the necessity to identify sources of coverage for budget changes. No amendments were received from parliamentary groups or committees by March 26. The Finance Committee submitted one specific amendment proposal, which was taken into account in accordance with the government's opinion. The discussion took place over three sessions; the government's opinion became clear on April 11, and decisions were made on April 30. The content of the decisions includes the secure continuation of the second reading procedure and the conclusion of the bill’s proceedings and the final vote in mid-May; additional provisions concerning the macroeconomic forecast and budget balance, as well as the possibility of hearing the government before the final resolution, were added. The decisions were adopted by consensus.
Decisions Made 1
Pursuant to the decision made on April 30, the draft bill will be added to the Riigikogu agenda for the second reading on May 8; the second reading will be concluded; upon the conclusion of the second reading, the draft bill shall be moved to the plenary session agenda and the final vote shall be held on May 15. All decisions were adopted by consensus. Furthermore, it was decided that the Finance Committee shall confirm the budget volume for constitutional institutions after reviewing the summer economic forecast, and that if the budget volume is increased, the funding sources must be specified; the decisions of the Finance Committee and the budget requests of the constitutional institutions shall be included in the budget's explanatory memorandum.
Most Active Speaker
The speaker was Jaak Aab, a member of the Social Democratic Party faction, representing a left-wing (left) position on the political spectrum. He advocated for the necessity of guaranteeing the budgetary independence of constitutional institutions and stressed that government influence must be limited during the budget procedure, and that the Finance Committee must address the state of the budget and the economy before final decisions are made.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Following this, the sixth item on today's agenda is the debate of the second reading of Draft Act 391 on the amendment of the State Budget Act, initiated by the Finance Committee. Maris Lauri, a member of the Finance Committee, will now take the Riigikogu rostrum to deliver the report.
Maris Lauri
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The Riigikogu Finance Committee discussed Draft Law 391 amending the basic law and, based on the government’s opinion, adopted an amendment proposal. This amendment mandates that when approving the budget volume for constitutional institutions, the macroeconomic forecast and the state budget balance must be taken into account, and the sources of funding must be specified. Consensus decisions were reached on April 30 to advance the draft law for the second reading on May 8 and the final vote on May 15.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman, Lauri Hussar, thanked the rapporteur, announced that there were no questions, opened the debate, and invited Jaak Aab to the Riigikogu podium.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab stated that the draft bill increases the budgetary independence of constitutional institutions by submitting their budget requests for approval to the Riigikogu Finance Committee and the Ministry of Finance before the state budget bill is initiated. Furthermore, in the event of disagreements, the government will express its opinion in order to ensure balance and reduce the pressure placed on the government regarding these budgets.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman declared the second reading concluded, noting that Jaak Aab represents the Social Democratic Party faction by authorization, and that one amendment received from the Finance Committee must be considered, following which the debate was closed and the review of the proposed amendments commenced.