A new federal law will strengthen the protection of municipalities' rights during inspections, according to the Tatarstan Ministry of justice
At a meeting of the presidium of the Association «Council of municipalities of the Republic of Tatarstan» first deputy minister of justice of Tatarstan Ilya Gomzik presented a report on a new draft law regulating oversight and supervision activities in relation to local government bodies.
The draft federal law «On the organization of oversight and supervisory activities in relation to local government bodies and local government officials» was developed at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin and aims to establish oversight (supervision) specifically over local government bodies and officials on matters related to the exercise of their powers to ensure public safety, as well as in the exercise of delegated state powers.
«This draft law singles out local government bodies as a separate entity subject to oversight, details inspection procedures, and significantly expands the range of guarantees for municipal rights», - noted the first deputy minister of justice of Tatarstan.
According to him, the document significantly strengthens the protection of local government bodies' rights during oversight activities: «A special notification procedure is introduced, representatives of municipal organizations can participate and educational and preventative work is prioritized over the imposition of penalties».
The bill provides for a risk-based approach with at least three risk categories, taking into account the specific characteristics of municipalities—their size, geography and budgetary capacity.
«For those subject to oversight classified as low-risk, no oversight activities will be conducted, only mandatory preventive visits will remain», - Ilya Gomzik emphasized.
An important innovation will be the consideration of local budget formation when issuing orders to eliminate violations. «Regulatory bodies will be required to consider municipal financial capacity and municipal procurement procedures», - Ilya Aleksandrovich stated.
The bill provides for a pre-trial procedure for appealing the actions of regulatory bodies, as well as a range of preventive measures, including information, consultation, preventive visits and warnings.
«The adoption of this law should help reduce local budget expenditures on fines and the enforcement of court decisions. This will allow the freed-up funds to be used to address issues directly related to the population's livelihoods», - Ilya Aleksandrovich concluded.
The federal law is scheduled to enter into force on january 1, 2027.