On the 4th of September, the third Autumn Session of the 9th convocation of the Parliament was opened by the Bureau Meeting.

1. The amendments to the Law on Tobacco Control and Administrative Offences Code of Georgia were registered.

According to the amendments:

• Restriction on the consumption of tobacco on the private property of higher education, vocational, medical and pharmaceutical facilities will be repealed; At these properties, the consumption of tobacco will only be allowed at the  specific areas, assigned by the leadership. The requirements for the above-mentioned areas are defined.

• Gaming machine saloons (the issue of the permit of organizing is determined by the licence tax of no less than 200 000 GEL)  will no longer be the subject to fine in case of the violation of tobacco consumption regulations.

• Consumption of tobacco will be allowed in the permanent premises of the theatres only in the cases when an actor/actress or/and a performer is participating in the onstage performance, fulfilling director’s theatrical intentions. The audience must be informed about the harm that tobacco products can bring right before a performance/play.

• The amounts of fines on consumption of tobacco in certain places will be reduced in the Administrative Offences Code of Georgia (i.e consumption of tobacco by an individual in that premises of buildings, in that owned properties or in that public transport where smoking is forbidden).

The initiative is available here: https://info.parliament.ge/#law-drafting/16272

2. The initiative of the Government of Georgia regarding the amendment to the Tax Code of Georgia was registered at the Meeting of Bureau. The amendment reads as follows:

• The suppliers of natural milk and natural dairy products are fully exempt from the right to redeem VAT.

The initiative is available here: https://info.parliament.ge/#law-drafting/16280

3. The initiative of the MP Irma Inashvili regarding the amendments to the Law on Broadcasting of Georgia was registered at the Meeting of Bureau. The amendments read as follows:

• During the “non-pre-election” period, political parties must have the right to purchase service of production and distribution of the political advertisements from the broadcasters.

• A new category of “non-pre-election political advertisement”,  the definition of which is given below by the initiator, must be included in the law: “the information about the ideas and undertakings which is spread by any form and means during the non-pre-election period, which reaches out to indefinite group of people and serves as a tool for shaping and keeping the interest towards the ideas and undertakings of the political parties and later advocates its implementation.

The initiative is available here: https://info.parliament.ge/#law-drafting/16278

4. The initiative of the members of the fraction “United National Movement” (Roman Gotsiridze, Salome Samadashvili, Nikanor Melia, Tinatin Bokuchava) on the amendment to the Organic Law on The Public Defender of Georgia and the concomitant laws was registered at the Meeting of Bureau. The amendment reads as follows:

• The Institute of Business Ombudsman of Georgia must be repealed and its authority must be devolved on The Public Defender of Georgia.

The initiative is available here: https://info.parliament.ge/#law-drafting/16293

5. The report on 6-month execution of state budget was registered at the Meeting of Bureau.

The report is available here: https://info.parliament.ge/#law-drafting/16249

The schedule of budget reviews at the Parliament: https://info.parliament.ge/#law-drafting/16319