Return to The Sejm Chronicle No 173
The amendment introduces the function of court officers, changes the rules concerning apprenticeship for judges and prosecutors, and adjusts the activities of courts and prosecuting authorities to the new circumstances arising in relation to the introduction of appeal and cassation procedures.
- The Sejm passed the bill on international road transport.
The bill provides for the issuance of licences for domestic companies providing international road transport services and permits for foreign companies.
- The Sejm passed the bill amending the Act on Tenancy of Housing Premises and on Housing Supplements, and the Co-operatives Act.
The bill wipes out legal loopholes and clarifies ambiguous provisions, thereby ruling out diverging interpretations of certain regulations.
- The Sejm passed the bill amending the Construction Law, the Land Use Act, and certain other legislative acts.
The amendment includes, e.g., provisions simplifying the procedures related to the launching of construction projects, provisions introducing a single construction supervision authority, and more precise regulations governing the activities of the National Construction Supervision Authority.
- The Sejm passed the bill banning the use of products containing asbestos.
The bill forbids the use, production, and importation of products containing asbestos. However, it allows four plants manufacturing asbestos-cement roofing materials to carry on production for up to twelve months from the date when the ban takes effect. Government financial assistance is stipulated for the restructuring of the plants. The workers are to be paid compensatory damages, and they are to be provided special health care.
- The Sejm adopted a resolution concerning a programme to remove asbestos from the economy.
- The Sejm passed the real estate bill.
The bill sorts out the regulations governing the trade in real estate and provides for the consolidation and re-division of land, e.g., for housing construction purposes. The bill clearly determines the procedures concerning the transfer of real estate from the Treasury to local government authorities. It also provides for new professions of building valuators, real estate administrators, and real estate dealers.
- The Sejm passed the military discipline bill.
The bill stipulates the list of punishments and awards. On top of that, it increases the scope of court supervision over the application of certain punishments, especially with regard to punishments involving restrictions of freedom.
- The Sejm passed the bill concerning the establishing of the University of Bialystok.
The bill stipulates that the University of Bialystok shall be established as of 1 October 1997, thereby replacing the local branch of the University of Warsaw.
- The Sejm passed the bill amending the Act on Health Service Institutions and several other legislative acts.
The amendment defines the term 'health service institution' and extends the list of such institutions to include, e.g., sanatoriums and nursing homes. The bill stipulates that medical services may be provided exclusively by persons having the required qualifications. It also regulates the changes taking place, for example, with regard to the independence of health service institutions, or the introduction of the Register of Medical Services. The bill establishes the list of patients' rights and regulates the status of clinics.
- The Sejm sent back to committee the bill on investment funds which had been submitted by the government.
The bill provides for three basis types of investment funds: open (trust funds), closed (joint-stock partnerships), and mixed. The funds would operate on the basis of licences issued by the State Securities Commission which would also review their activities.
- The Sejm sent back to committee the private members' bill concerning licences for domestic road transport operators.
The bill stipulates obligatory licences for coach operators and lays out the licence granting procedures.
- The Sejm sent back to committee the bill on the production, bottling, and marketing of wine products, which had been submitted by the government.
The bill establishes categories of wine products and lays out the licence granting procedures concerning business operators dealing in the production and bottling of wine products.
- The Sejm sent back to committee the private members' bill and the government bill amending the act concerning the tax on goods and services and the excise tax.
The bill stipulates that the excise tax and the tax on goods and services (VAT) shall be collected on cars imported by persons resettling or moving back to Poland beginning from 1 January 1998.
The bill also adds new items to the list of goods exempt from the tax on goods and services, such as: military equipment carried into Poland by foreign participants of military exercises held on Polish territory, civilian aircraft with a mass up to 12 tons, and certain control equpment.
- The Sejm sent back to committee the bill which had been proposed by the Sejm committee to amend the act on insurance companies.
The bill is meant to amend the provisions of the act to make them more precise.
- The Sejm sent to committee the private members' bill amending the act on local fees and taxes.
The bill stipulates that market fees shall not be collected from owners of movable stands.
- The Sejm sent to committee the private members' bill on an equal status of the sexes.
The bill ensures the right to equal opportunities with regard to improving one's qualifications and being promoted, the right to work in environment free from sexual harassment, and the right to equal pay for the same work. The bill provides for the enforcement of the relevant regulations to be safeguarded by the ombudsman for an equal status of women and by the Appeals Commission for an Equal Status of Women, to be appointed by the president.
- The Sejm sent to committee the bill submitted by the committee to amend the Local Self-Government Act.
The bill stipulates that, in case of possible changes of boundaries of local government districts, the government shall appoint the acting local government authorities until new local government elections.
- The Sejm looked at the Senate's position concerning the Traffic Law.
The Sejm passed some of the changes recommended by the Senate.
- The Sejm adopted a resolution concerning the establishing of the Polish- Lithuanian Parliamentary Assembly.
The task of the Assembly is to be to endorse joint positions with regard to the Polish Sejm and the Lithuanian Seimas, the governments of the two countries, and European organisations. The Assembly is to be comprised of forty members, twenty from each side, who are to be selected from among the members of parliamentary caucuses and deputies' circles. Meetings of the Assembly are to be held in Poland and in Lithuania, alternately.
- The Sejm adopted a resolution concerning the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the return of the Upper Silesia to Poland.
In the resolution, the Sejm paid tribute to the generations of Silesians who "held on to their principles and efforts to join Silesia to Poland."
- The Sejm adopted a resolution about appointing the Property Statements Commission.
The establishing of the Commission is provided for by the act regulating the rights and duties of Sejm deputies and senators.
- The Sejm adopted a resolution concerning the annual report submitted by the National Broadcasting Council together with a report about the main problems of radio and television.
In the resolution, the Sejm endorsed the Council's report.
- The Sejm seconded the motion filed to reject the report submitted by the Select Committee concerning the government bill on the ratification of the Concordat between the Apostolic See and the Republic of Poland.
The Sejm did not endorse the Select Committee's report stating that the Concordat was at odds with the Constitution.
- The Sejm sent to the Foreign Affairs Committee and to the Legislative Committee the government bill on the ratification of the Concordat between the Apostolic See and the Republic of Poland.
The committees are to present their opinion concerning the possibility for the Concordat to be ratified by the president.
- The Sejm looked at:
* the government report concerning "Outlines of the Programme for the Privatisation of State Assets Until 2000;"
* the report presented by the minister of internal affairs and administration about the implementation of the act concerning purchases of real estate by foreign nationals in 1996;
* the draft of the appeal to be addressed by the Sejm to the Council of Ministers calling for actions to be undertaken in order to obtain damages for the prisoners formerly held in Siberia.
- The Sejm approved changes concerning the participation of deputies in the Sejm committees.
- The Sejm rejected in the second reading the private members' bill on taxi drivers.