Retirement without tax, Improving the availability of health care services, Amendment of the Act on family support and foster care system, better collection of alimonies and improvement of air quality and ensuring security of heat and energy supply are some of the issues that MPs addressed during the 73rd session of the Sejm.

On Thursday, a report on the implementation of 500 plus program In 2016-2017, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Family Labour and Social Policy Stanisław Szwed, who drew attention to the clear increase in the fertility rate. According to the Ministry's data, in 2017 for the first time the limit of over 400 thousand births was exceeded, which is a good forecast when it comes to demographic issues.

Resolutions adopted by the Sejm

By acclamation, the Members of the Sejm adopted the following proposal of the Bureau of the Sejm resolution on commemorating the 100th anniversary of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, In the first half of the year, it was the only private Catholic university from the Elbe River to Vladivostok.

link: KUL resolution 

Members also adopted a resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of issuing a decree of the Head of State on establishing Commune Councils in the territory of the former Congress KingdomThe book focuses on an important element of the construction of the reborn state, which was the creation of public administration, including the institution of local government. This process was initiated by a decree issued by Head of State Józef Piłsudski on 27 November 1918, establishing commune councils on the territory of the former Congress Kingdom. This act was temporary in nature, and remained in force until the Sejm passed a law on communal self-government, but it made it possible to establish bodies in several hundred communes, providing a strong foundation for the newly forming state.

The Sejm has passed 10 laws

The Sejm decided to amend the Civil Code - there will be no undue preference for credit institutions in the calculation of interest on overdue interest. MPs also passed an amendment to the Law on International Agreements, which introduces the concept of "expiration of an international agreement" into the law. This will allow for proper reporting of the expiration of international agreements if its cause is other than termination by the Republic of Poland.

The Senate will also receive an amendment to introduce provisions allowing the police to cover the costs of temporary accommodation for a police officer transferred to serve in another locality for the entire period of service. The deputies also approved amendments under which which members of the management board of the metropolitan association, as well as the treasurer and secretary, will submit vetting declarations on the same basis as, among others, members of the voivodship management board.

The Sejm amended the law on transformation of the perpetual usufruct of land developed for residential purposes into ownership of land. Amendment will support citizens in obtaining ownership of land property used to meet housing needs (single-family houses, apartments in multi-unit buildings where at least half of the units are residential).

The House amended the act on organizing and conducting cultural activity, which regulates, among other things, the procedure for holding competitions for the posts of directors in local government cultural institutions. New provisions of the Act on professions of physician and dentist and on patients' rights and the Patient's Rights Ombudsman will give the patient The right to declare a lifetime objection to the release of medical records. Patients will also receive electronic referrals.

The Parliament (Sejm) passed amendments improving the collection of alimonies. They include solutions that will enable more effective professional activation of alimony debtors.

The passed amendment to the Law on Special Solutions for the Implementation of the Budget Law for 2018. involves an increase in the resources of the National Health Fund, Reprivatization Fund, Local Government Roads Fund, Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture and PKP PLK.

Laws directed to the signature of the President

Amendment to the Act on supporting thermomodernization and renovation and some other acts enable thermomodernization of single-family residential buildings inhabited by people affected by energy poverty and replacement or liquidation of heating devices in the form of solid fuel boilers that do not meet emission standards.

Act on the National Debtors Register provides for facilitation of restructuring proceedings and bankruptcy of entrepreneurs. This is a response to significant problems of restructuring and bankruptcy courts, resulting from a significant increase in the number of cases, especially consumer bankruptcy cases. The National Debtors Register will be created and open to the public, which means that everyone will be able to, among other things, read the data disclosed therein via the Internet.

The changes in the act on identity cards consist in equipping evidence with a means of electronic identification (personal profile), ensuring a high level of trust, which will allow to confirm identity in online services and to sign electronic documents.

MPs adopted amendments by the Senate concerning the establishment of POLADA, i.e. separation of the Department of Anti-Doping Research from the Sports Institute - National Research Institute and establishment of the Polish Anti-Doping Laboratory equipped with a legal entity. The bill will now go to the President's desk.

Wednesday's first day of the Diet's 73rd session included, among other things issues related to improving the availability of health care services and Amendments to the Act on Support for Family and Foster Care System.

The meeting began with the swearing in of new MPs taking their seats after the parliamentarians who took up positions in local government bodies. The following Members of Parliament were sworn in before the House: Iwona Krawczyk, Grzegorz Lipiec, Danuta Nowicka, Paweł Rychlik and Sławomir Skwarek..

Afterwards, the MPs gave the second reading to the Presidential draft amendment to the Civil Code, which aims to abolish charging interest on overdue interest. The effect of the amendment is to be counteracting the increase of customer indebtedness and falling into the so-called debt loop. The bill was referred to the Emergency Committee on Amendments to Codifications.

The first reading of the government's draft amendment to the Law on Special Solutions for Implementation of the Budget Law for 2018 was also held, after the motion to reject the draft in its entirety was rejected, the motion was referred to the Committee on Public Finance.

Deputies held the first reading of the bill on promoting electricity from high-efficiency cogeneration. Adoption of these solutions is expected to improve air quality and ensure security of heat and energy supply through simultaneous generation of electricity and useful heat in CHP plants. After the vote, the Sejm referred the bill to the Energy and Treasury Committee.

The MPs have completed the second reading of the commission's draft amendment to the Act on the Polish Police. The draft concerns covering by the Police the costs of temporary accommodation of a police officer transferred to serve in another locality for the entire period of service. The Sejm will proceed to the third reading of the bill in a voting block.

The Sejm carried out II reading of the draft, which introduces provisions obliging the members of the management board of a metropolitan association, as well as the treasurer and secretary of such association to submit lustration declarations. The committee's bill concerns the amendment to the Act on Disclosure of Information on Documents of State Security Agencies from 1944-1990 and the Content of Those Documents. The Sejm will proceed to the third reading of the bill in a voting block.

The House conducted the second reading of the draft amendment to the Act on organizing and conducting cultural activity. The draft regulates, among other things, the procedure for holding competitions for the posts of directors in local government cultural institutions. The Sejm will proceed to the third reading of the draft in a voting block.

The Sejm heard a report from the Health Committee on amendments to the Act on professions of physician and dentist, on patient rights and Patient Ombudsman. The new regulations will give the patient the right to declare, during his or her lifetime, an objection to the release of medical records. The Sejm will proceed to the third reading of the bill in the voting block.

In the second reading of the government project establishing the Future Industry Platform Foundation, which is a consequence of the implementation of the project "Polish Industry Platform 4.0" included in the "Strategy for Responsible Development until 2020", MPs listened to the report of the Committee on Economy and Development. In connection with the amendments, the draft was again referred to this committee to prepare an additional report.

Another bill which the Sejm considered in the first reading was the government's proposal for changes to The Act on Family Support and Foster Care System, which is to influence dynamic development of family forms of foster care and ensure stable family environment for children deprived of parental care. The bill was referred to the Social Policy and Family Committee.

The Parliament (Sejm) continued its work on the new regulations improving the collection of alimonies by listening to the report of the Committee on Social Policy and Family. These include solutions that will enable more effective professional activation of maintenance debtors. The bill was again referred to the Social and Family Policy Committee.

The Sejm held the first reading of the government's bill on amending certain laws in connection with ensuring the application of Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and the Council (EU). The draft concerns the adjustment of the Polish legal order to the RODO. A motion to reject the draft in the first reading has been filed, the Sejm will consider the motion in the voting block.

The first reading of the government bill amending the Act on the principles of state property management and certain other acts was also carried out. The bill provides, among other things, for the establishment of a Capital Investment Fund. A motion to reject the draft in the first reading has been put forward; the Sejm will consider the motion in the voting block.

The last bill considered today is the second reading of an amendment to certain laws in connection with e-referral and waiting lists for healthcare services. The changes are aimed primarily at clarifying the scope of documents handled in an electronic form.. Since there were amendments to the bill, it was referred back to the Health Committee.

read more: sejm.gov.pl

Photo: R. Zambrzycki, Ł. Błasikiewicz