Monitoring of the Federal Legislation dated 22.06.2004

Federal Constitutional Law No. 4-FKZ of June 19, 2004 on the Amendments to the Federal Constitutional Law on the Government of the Russian Federation

Refines the provisions regulating relations of the Government of the Russian Federation, federal ministries and federal bodies of executive power supervised by the federal ministries, as well as specifies individual provisions pertaining to the federal bodies of executive power supervised by the President of the Russian Federation.

Sets forth that the Government of the Russian Federation may assign to positions and dismiss from them at the presentation of the federal ministers the heads of the federal bodies of executive power surprised by the federal ministries.

Federal ministers are empowered with the right to coordinate and control the activities of the federal bodies of executive power supervised by the federal ministries, as well as to assign to the position and dismiss from the position deputy heads of the bodies of executive power at the presentation of the heads of these bodies.

If there are changes in the system and structure of the federal bodies of executive power before adoption of the federal laws on the appropriate amendments to the federal laws, the Government of the Russian Federation is empowered with the right to redistribute the functions of the federal bodies of executive power specified in the federal laws. A similar norm is envisaged for the federal bodies of executive power supervised by the President of the Russian Federation.

The Federal Constitutional Law is entered into force from the day of its official publication.

Federal Law No. 54-FZ of June 19, 2004 on the Meetings, Rallies, Demonstrations, Marches and Picketing

The Law is intended to regulate the relations emerging when the citizens of the Russian Federation, political parties, public and religious associations arrange and hold meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and picketing carried out in the course of implementation of their rights fixed in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

The Law defines the judicial mechanism of interaction of the bodies of state power, bodies of local government and their officials with organisers and participants of the public events, as well as the procedure of ensuring public order during the carried out public events and the reasons of their suspension or stopping.

The Law provides for the notification procedure for the arranged rallies, marches, demonstrations and picketing, i.e. there is no need to obtain preliminary permissions of the bodies of executive power and bodies of local government to arrange the given public measures. The notification of the arranged public event (except for the rally and picketing arranged by a single participant) is submitted by its organiser in writing to the body of executive power of the subject of the Russian Federation or the body of local government no sooner than 15 days and no later than 10 days in advance of the arranged public event. The public event may not begin earlier than 7 a.m. and end later than 23 p.m. of the current day local time.

The Federal Law lists the places and territories prohibited from public events.

Federal Law No. 53-FZ of June 19, 2004 on the Amendments to Individual Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation

Provides a deferment from the military service to the citizens elected in the deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, deputies of the legislative (representative) bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation, higher officials of the subjects of the Russian Federation (heads of the higher executive bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation), deputies of representative bodies of the local government or the heads of municipal formations and implementing their authority on the permanent basis - for the time of their authority in the mentioned bodies.

The deferment is also granted to the candidates for the positions in the bodies of state power or bodies of local government occupied through direct elections for the time until the day of official publication (announcement) of the general results of elections inclusive, and in case of an early dropout - until the day of the dropout inclusive.

The Federal Law is entered into force from September 1, 2004.

Federal Law No. 52-FZ of June 19, 2004 on the Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

Ratifies the Optional Protocol signed on behalf of the Russian Federation in New York on May 8, 2001. The document envisages recognition of the authority of the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women to receive and process reports of victims of violation of the rights specified in the Convention.

Federal Law No. 51-FZ of June 19, 2004 on the Amendments to Article 12 of the Federal Law on the Civil Defence

Envisages the service of the commanders of the State Fire Service in the bodies in charge of the civil defence on the territories of the subjects of the Russian Federation, territories included in civil defence groups, as well as the assigning of the mentioned officials to positions of the heads of these bodies.

Federal Law No. 50-FZ of June 19, 2004 on the Amendments to Articles 1 and 10 of the Federal Law on the Justices of the Peace in the Russian Federation

Omits the provision stating that the judicial procedure implemented by the justices of the peace in cases of administrative violations may be specified by the subjects of the Russian Federation. This is in compliance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation stating that administrative law is supervised jointly by the Russian Federation and its subjects. Thus, independent regulation of the issues of administrative law by the subjects of the Russian Federation is not provided.

Also omits the provision stating that material and technical support of the work of the justices of the peace is vested in the judicial bodies.

Federal Law No. 49-FZ of June 19, 2004 on the Amendments to Articles 4, 14 and 21 of the Federal Law on the Veterans

Specifies that invalids of the Great Patriotic War and invalids of military actions includes the personnel of the institutions and bodies of the criminal execution system having become invalids because of the injury, contusion, mutilation or disease occurred during execution of service duties in the regions of military actions. The mentioned persons enjoy the benefits and measures of social protection of invalids specified in the Law on the veterans.

Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 289 of June 17, 2004 on the Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication of the Russian Federation

The Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication is a federal body of executive power in charge of the working out of the state policy and normative and legal regulation in the sphere of culture, art, historical and cultural heritage and cinematography, means of mass communication and mass communication, archives and issues of inter-nationality relations.

The Ministry shall provide for the coordination of and control over activities of the supervised by it Federal Service of Enforcement of Observation of the Legislation in the Sphere of Mass Communication and Protection of Cultural Heritage, Federal Archive Agency, Federal Agency of Culture and Cinematography, Federal Agency of the Press and Mass Communication.

Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 286 of June 16, 2004 on the Endorsement of the Regulation on the Federal Agency of Construction and the Housing and Communal Services

The Federal Agency of Construction and the Housing and Communal Services is a federal body of executive power in charge of the implementation of the state policy, rendering of state services, state property management in the sphere of construction, city planning, industry of construction materials and the housing and communal services.

The Decision specifies that the Federal Agency shall supervise on the temporary basis organisations having been supervised earlier by the State Construction Committee of the Russian Federation. The Federal Agency is also in charge of the licensing of activities in the designing and construction of buildings and structures of level I and II responsibility according to the state standard, in engineering surveys for construction of the mentioned buildings and structures.

Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 284 of June 16, 2004 on the Endorsement of the Regulation on the Ministry of the Industry and Power Supplies of the Russian Federation

The Ministry of the Industry and Power Supplies is a federal body of executive power in charge of the working out of the state policy and normative and legal regulation in the sphere of the industry, defence industry and the fuel and power supply complexes, as well as in the sphere of development of aircraft equipment, construction, architecture, city planning, housing and communal services, technical regulation and uniform units of measurement, use of mineral deposits on the basis of product-sharing agreements, science and technology for the purposes of defence and state security.

The Ministry, within its sphere of reference, shall fulfil the functions of the federal body in charge of the technical regulation and the authorised body in charge of the product-sharing agreements for the parts of the mineral deposits of all kinds of mineral resources.

The Ministry shall provide for coordination of and control over the activities of supervised by it Federal Agency of the Industry, Federal Agency of Construction and the Housing and Communal Services, Federal Agency of Technical Regulation and Metrology, Federal Agency of Power Supplies.

Before the adoption of the appropriate normative act of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Ministry shall endorse quarterly schedules of transportation of oil over the system of mainlines taking into account the supplies of oil, oil products and liquefied hydrocarbon gases to the internal market.

Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 280 of June 15, 2004 on the Endorsement of the Regulation on the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

The Ministry of Education and Science is a federal body of executive power in charge of the working out of the state policy and normative and legal regulation in the sphere of education, scientific, scientific and technical and innovation activities, development of the federal centres of science and high technologies, state scientific centres and scientific cities, intellectual property, as well as in the sphere of youth policy, upbringing, trusteeship, social support and social protection of students of educational institutions.

The Ministry shall provide for the coordination of and control over the activities of supervised by it Federal Service of Intellectual Property, Patents and Trade-Marks, Federal Service of Enforcement in the Sphere of Education and Science, Federal Agency of Science and Innovations, and the Federal Agency of Education.