Draft law on public councils presented in the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan

At the plenary session of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Minister of Information and Public Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva presented the main provisions of the draft law "On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the activities of public councils."

Recall that in the framework of the execution of the instructions of the Head of State, indicated in the Address to the people of Kazakhstan, relevant amendments have been developed to the draft Law on the creation of public councils in the quasi-public sector, their powers and quantitative composition.

Thus, public councils, as a form of dialogue between the state and civil society, were created in 2016 as part of the implementation of the Plan of the Nation "100 Concrete Steps".

The draft law introduces a number of changes aimed at improving the activities of the institution of public councils. To ensure maximum independence of public councils, the bill proposes the election of the head of the Working Group on the formation of the Council from among representatives of civil society.

“The public councils themselves will form the Reserve list from among the candidates and will be able to hold additional contests for the election of new members instead of the retired ones,” the minister said.

These norms will make it possible to increase the efficiency of the activities of public councils, since the issue of the timely formation of the composition of councils is one of the problematic issues that need to be addressed.

The bill proposes a unified approach to establish the quantitative composition at the local level and quantitative parameters of the composition of public councils at the republican level.

It is also proposed to establish normatively the procedure for organizing and conducting public hearings, public expertise, public monitoring, reports of the heads of state bodies.

“Public councils are invited to provide an opportunity, if necessary, to attract independent experts to carry out various forms of public control. A mechanism for interaction between the state and public councils is established by defining an authorized body in the field of public councils, whose competence will include coordination and methodological support of their activities. It is proposed to determine the Ministry of Information and Social Development as the authorized body in the field of public councils. This body will also be empowered to prepare and submit to the Head of State an annual National Report on the activities of public councils, ”said Minister of Information and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva.

The bill proposes the introduction of a model for financing certain aspects of the activities of the public council, while the members of the public councils will carry out their activities on a voluntary basis, and the organizational support of the activities of the councils will be financed from the corresponding budget (republican and local).

Deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan approved the submitted bill on public councils in the first reading.