The draft law is aimed at improving the safety of labour, reducing the number of lethal injuries, and reducing the scale and the grave consequences of the accidents that occur in mining enterprises by creating auxiliary mine rescue teams capable of performing qualified rescue services and taking care of accidents in the initial period before the arrival of military mine rescue units.  The obligation of mining organisations to create auxiliary mine rescue teams supporting mining operations and underground mining is not included in the law. It is only included in departmental regulatory acts.

5. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation to Provide for Public Order and Public Security When Holding Official Athletic or Sport Events

The draft law is aimed at preventing violence when holding official sport competitions. The draft law provides for administrative responsibility following a court ruling when individuals have violated the rules:

- a fine (between 1,000 and 5,000 roubles);

- an administrative arrest of up to 15 days;

- an administrative ban on visiting sport venues during official sport competition for a period of 1-12 months;

The draft law also introduces the institution of controllers (social directors) for official sport competitions and establishes their rights and obligations. Under the draft law, an entrance ticket to official sport competitions on the federal executive body list of physical fitness and sport events is only valid with an ID.   

The draft law lists the authorities of the Government on approving the rules on fan behaviour and providing security when holding official sport events.

The adoption of the draft law will contribute to public order and fan security when holding official sport events

6. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Article 28 of the Federal Law On Veterans and to Article 154 of the Federal Law On Introducing Amendments to Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation and Recognising as Inoperative Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Due to the Adoption of the Federal Laws On Introducing Amendments and Supplements to the Federal Law On the General Principles of the Organisation of Legislative (Representative) and Executive Bodies of Russian Regions and On the General Principles of Organising the Executive Bodies of Local Governments in the Russian Federation

Article 21 of the federal law On Veterans establishes the measures of social support for the family members of deceased or disabled war veterans,  and Great Patriotic War and military operation veterans (hereinafter referred to as family members).Presently, family members are required to produce a certificate of the right to benefits to receive social support. They can also produce a pension certificate specifying the category of the beneficiary (widow, mother, or father of a deceased soldier), as well as the serviceman's death certificate. 

The draft law introduces as of 1 July 1, 2013 a uniform certificate for family members receiving social support under the federal law On Veterans.

Under the draft law, a uniform certificate for family members will be issued. A uniform certificate on the right of measures of social support of former underage prisoners will also be issued under the draft law.

7. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Article 9 of the Law of the Russian Federation On the State Border of the Russian Federation and to Article 6 of the Federal Law On the Exit Procedure from the Russian Federation and Entry Procedure into the Russian Federation 

The draft law has been developed to remedy the legal contradiction concerning Russian and foreign ships crossing the state border, while navigating between Russian ports and marine terminals.

Russian ships travelling from the Primorye Territory ports to the ports of Sakhalin and Magadan regions, Kamchatka Territory, and Chukotka Autonomous Area on route to Northern Sea Route ports must cross the state border repeatedly, although they do not enter into foreign ports, into inland seawaters, or into the closed seas of foreign states. As of early 2009, the captains of such ships have been taken into administrative responsibility for evading border control. This practice has unveiled a legal contradiction in Russian law.

The draft law allows Russian and foreign ships navigating between Russian ports and marine terminals and leaving for inland waters or a closed Russian sea during commercial navigation to repeatedly cross the state border without passing through border, customs, or any other type of control. 

The adoption of the draft law will not require additional federal budget expenses or changes to the funding procedure of the federal executive bodies.

8. Draft federal law On Introducing Amendments to Articles 4 and 20 of the Federal Law On the Heating Supply In Determining the Authorities of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Federal Executive Bodies Regarding the Heating Supply.

The draft law is aimed at improving the law in the area of heating supply and provides the federal executive body conducting control and overview over electric and heating plant and network safety with the authority to investigate the causes of relevant emergency situations in cases and under the procedure established by the Government.

The adoption of the draft law will make it possible to establish the damages based on an analysis of emergency situations, the extent of the responsibility of the parties to the accident, and to develop measures preventing similar situations.

The adoption of the draft law will not require additional expenses from the federal budget, additional expenses from regional budgets, or the modification of the authorities or functions of regional state bodies or local governments.   

9. Draft federal law On the Ratification of the Agreement on the Procedure of Handing Over Specimens of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and Their Precursors

The Agreement on the Procedure of Handing Over Specimens of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and Their Precursors signed on 18 October, 2011 in St Petersburg (hereinafter referred to as the agreement) specifies the procedure for handing over these substances to the relevant bodies of CIS countries. 

The main objective of handing over specimens of narcotic and psychotropic substances and their precursors is to allow the specimens to be comprehensively analysed in order to detect how and where they were produced and the possible means and routes of their transportation.  As the agreement includes rules differing from the rules on drug trade established by Russian law, the draft federal law provides for its ratification in compliance with Subparagraph A of Paragraph 1 of Article 15 of the federal law On International Agreements of the Russian Federation.

The ratification will improve the efficiency of the fight against the illegal trade of narcotic and psychotropic substances and their precursors.

The adoption of the federal law will not require additional funding from the federal budget.

10. Introducing amendments to certain legislative acts of the Government of the Russian Federation on the conversion of the radiofrequency spectrum

The present statute on the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media establishes the functions of the Ministry, including on developing and implementing state policy and  on egal regulation in telecommunication, including issues on using and converting the radiofrequency spectrum.

Meanwhile, the Ministry's powers in organising work on converting the radiofrequency spectrum – on placing orders and concluding state contracts on the implementation of this work – are not specified in the statute.

It is proposed to assign to the State Commission for Radiofrequencies decision-making power in organising work on converting the radiofrequency spectrum. It is proposed to authorize the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media  with  organising work on converting the radiofrequency spectrum.   

11. Introducing amendments to Government Resolution No 490 of 23  May, 1998, and declaring ineffective Subparagraph 5.2.20 of the Statute on the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

The draft resolution proposes to introduce an amendment to the Paragraph 5 of Government Resolution No 490 of 23 May, 1998which provides instructions for conducting a register to be approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in agreement with the Ministry of Transport and the Federal Service for the Supervision of Environment, Technology and Nuclear Management.

The adoption of the draft resolution will make it possible to specify the authorities of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on establishing the procedure for opening the Russian Waterworks Register to implement the statutes of Federal Law No 117 of 21 July, 1997 On the Security of Waterworks. 

12. Allocating budget provisions from the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the Prevention and Liquidation of Emergencies and Disaster Relief to remedy the consequences of the earthquake that took place in the Republic of Tyva on 26 February, 2012 

The earthquake that took place in the Republic of Tyva on 26 February,  2012 brought about various grades of destruction to over 1,500 utilities and housing facilities, to facilities in the social, transportation, industry and agricultural sectors, and also to facilities of federal executive bodies. Based on the assessment of the Government of the Republic of Tyva, the total material damages amounted to over 2 billion roubles.

To remedy the consequences of the earthquake, 456.5 million roubles in budget allocations are extended from the Reserve Fund to the Government of the Republic of Tyva to provide lump-sum material and financial assistance to citizens who have lost their primary property. In addition, the Government is issuing 120 state housing certificates to citizens who have lost their homes due to the earthquake (Government Directive No 893-r and Directive No 894-r of 4 June 2012).

Under the draft directive, the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the Prevention and Liquidation of Emergencies and Disaster Relief   will allocate 760 million roubles in as financial support to partially cover the expenses of tackling the consequences of the earthquake.

13. Allocating budget provisions to the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan from the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the Prevention and Liquidation of Emergencies and Disaster Relief as financial support for the measures to tackle the consequences of a gas tank explosion on 28 January, 2012 in the Priyutovo village in the Belebeyevsky district in the Republic of Bashkortostan

A gas tank explosion in a building in the Priyutovo village in the Belebeyevsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan destroyed the entrance to a building and killed five people on 28 January, 2012. Twenty-seven people – five families – lost their flats. Upon a preliminary assessment conducted by the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the total material damages amounted to about 30 million roubles.

The draft directive provides for budget allocations from the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the Prevention and Liquidation of Emergencies and Disaster Relief   to be extended to the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Moscow,
31 October,  2012

* Press releases by the Department of Press Service and Information are based on the materials submitted by the federal executive bodies for discussion by the Government of the Russian Federation.