On Thursday, during the second day of the 51st session of the Sejm, deputies passed 11 laws. They concern, among other things, amendments to the 2017 Budget Law and the Law on Local Government Revenues - it will be possible to provide local governments with subsidies for the construction and renovation of shooting ranges and the development of shooting sports. The Sejm also established the Institute of Solidarity and Valor, which will be tasked with commemorating those living, dead or murdered who have rendered meritorious service to the Polish Nation. MPs observed a minute of silence for the victims of the criminal October Revolution, which took place 100 years ago. The next meeting is scheduled for November 22-24.

The Sejm has passed 11 laws. They will now be subject to the work of the Senate

Amendments to the Budget Law for 2017. The improved budget result and the reduction in spending make it possible to increase the spending limit in other parts of the budget by almost PLN 9.4 billion. The funds saved will be used, among other things, to compensate retired miners for lost coal allowances. The funds will also be used, among other things, to recapitalize the Polish Development Fund SA, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency SA, to compensate the National Broadcasting Council for the loss of subscription revenues due to exemptions from subscription fees for the years 2010-2017, and to pay increased contributions to international organizations. The proposed amendment also provides for an increase in funds for the implementation of the Law on State Aid for Raising Children and for financing equipment for preventive medicine cabinets in connection with the Law on Special Solutions to Ensure Improved Quality and Availability of Health Care Services. The proposed solutions do not change the basic budget figures resulting from the 2017 Budget Law of December 16, 2016.

The Law on Special Solutions for the Implementation of the 2017 Budget Law has also been amended. The amendment is justified by the need to enable the financing of the implementation of the Government's policy and provides for: the allocation of approx. PLN 2.3 billion for miners' pensioners, the transfer by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage to the KRRiT of compensation in the amount of PLN 980 million for the lost revenue from subscription fees in 2010-2017 due to statutory exemptions, the creation of an earmarked reserve in the amount of PLN 88 million for the purchase of equipment for preventive medicine cabinets in public schools (primary and secondary), creation of a new specific reserve in the amount of PLN 316.9 million for supplementing expenditures planned for the implementation of the Law on State Aid for Raising Children and payment of the child-rearing allowance and lump-sum allowance, as well as for printing Large Family Cards.
The Sejm also amended some laws to improve the legal environment for innovative activities. The proposed law provides for the elimination or reduction of barriers to conducting innovative activities and increasing the attractiveness of tax instruments to support innovative activities in Poland. Prime Minister Beata Szydło spoke about the need to improve the environment for innovative activity in her exposé.

A law has been passed on the Institute of Solidarity and Valor, the purpose of which will be to initiate, undertake and support activities to commemorate living, deceased or murdered persons of merit to the Polish Nation.

The Law on Formation of the Agricultural System has been amended, which, according to the explanatory memorandum, concerns the amendment of provisions to the extent of facilitating commercial law companies whose sole shareholder is the State Treasury, being a transmission system operator or holding a license for the transmission of liquid fuels to acquire ownership or perpetual usufruct of agricultural real estate, as well as shares and participation of commercial law companies that are owners or perpetual usufructors of agricultural real estate.

The Code of Criminal Procedure and certain other laws have been amended. The amendment solves the problem of covering the fees of witnesses, experts and interpreters for participation in the investigative activities of bodies under the authority of local governments (including municipal and city guards). According to the draft, these expenses will be temporarily covered by local governments, and in the case of convictions they will be awarded to the convicts. The proposed law is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2018.

The Law on Income of Local Government Units has also been amended. Using funds from the defense budget, it will be possible to provide local governments with subsidies for the construction and repair of shooting ranges and the development of shooting sports. One of the conditions for subsidizing shooting ranges is to be able to train the military. The draft also stipulates that the Defense Ministry will be able to subsidize monuments commemorating the tradition, glory and fame of the Polish Armed Forces.

Amending certain laws to improve the terminological consistency of the legal system. The purpose of the amendment is to make minor changes in a number of laws, adjusting the terminology appearing in them to the current state of the law. The changes will take place, among others, in the Labor Code, the Law on the Recognition by the Courts of Cases in the Field of Labor Law and Social Security, the Law on the Exercise of Legislative Initiative by Citizens, and the Election Code. The need for the amendments stems from the fact that provincial courts have been replaced by district and appellate courts, and the term "health care facilities" has been replaced by "treatment facilities".

The Sejm has passed a law on insurance distribution. The law concerns the establishment of new regulations resulting from the need to implement the provisions of EP and Council Directive (EU) 2016/97 of January 20, 2016 on insurance distribution into the national legal order. The solutions are aimed at improving the existing regulations on insurance intermediation and extending the scope of the regulations to all distribution channels.
The Law on Value Added Tax and Certain Other Laws has been amended. The law introduces a mechanism for the so-called split payment of the goods and services tax. The implementation of this solution is intended to ensure greater stability of revenues from this tax and prevent evasion. The mechanism included in the bill is intended to counteract fraud and tax evasion, including the removal of money abroad. The split payment mechanism is scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2018.

An amendment to the Law on Certain Powers of Employees of the Office Serving the Minister of Internal Affairs and Officers and Employees of Offices Supervised by the Minister, and Certain Other Laws. The amendment establishes the Internal Supervision Inspectorate, performing its tasks with the help of the Internal Supervision Bureau, as a body subordinate to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, constituting supervision over services subordinate to him or supervised by him, over officers of the Police, Border Guard and the Government Protection Bureau, and firefighters of the State Fire Service, as well as over employees employed in these services

Projects referred for further work in committee

First reading of the government's draft amendment to the Excise Tax Law (print No. 1963). According to the draft, electronic cigarette liquid and novelty products are to be subject to excise taxes starting January 1, 2018. This means that these products will be treated the same as traditional tobacco products - they will be subject to banding, confirming their legal origin, and better state control over their production, movement and sale. Excise taxes will be imposed on electronic cigarette liquid (regardless of its nicotine content) and novelty products, which are substitutes for traditional tobacco products that contain smoking tobacco in their composition (a novelty product is heated using a special device to release an aerosol containing nicotine). The draft has been referred to the Public Finance Committee for further work.

First reading of the government bill on the State Protection Service (print No. 1916). The bill concerns the establishment of a new protective formation, the SOP, responsible for the protection of persons and objects of key importance for the functioning of the state, which, according to the applicants, will make it possible to put in order and clarify the provisions hitherto applicable to BOR officers by clarifying a number of interpretative doubts, and is intended to broaden the powers that strengthen the comprehensive dimension of the formation's activities in the field of ensuring the security of entities under its protection by granting the new protective formation the right to undertake operational and exploratory activities. The draft was referred to the Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs for further work.

First reading of the commission's bill on the Speaker's Guard (print No. 1971). According to the justification, the bill concerns, according to the explanatory memorandum - defining the tasks of protecting the Sejm and the Senate by the SM as a uniformed and armed formation subordinate to the Speaker of the Sejm, while maintaining the provisions on the protection of classified information. The draft was referred to the Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs for further work.

First reading of the commission's draft law - Regulations for the introduction of the Law on the Marshal's Guard (print No. 1972). The bill concerns, according to the explanatory statement - defining the rules for the introduction of the SM Law. The bill was referred to the Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs for further work.

First reading of the government's draft amendments to the Law on the Social Insurance System and certain other laws. The draft concerns the abolition of the upper limit on pension and disability insurance contributions, starting in 2018. Pension and disability insurance premiums will be paid on the entire income. The draft has been referred to the Committee on Social Policy and Family.

Current information

It concerned Poland's current relations with its closest neighbors and the policy of the Polish government toward our neighbors, with particular emphasis on Ukraine, Germany, Lithuania, Belarus, in the context of recent decisions and statements by representatives of the Polish government. Current information was presented by Deputy Foreign Minister Bartosz Cichocki.

text: Chancellery of the Sejm

Photo by Krzysztof Białoskórski