The bill provides for the formation of a special committee for the control of the state budget, which includes one member from each faction. The purpose of the commission is to ensure, in cooperation with the National Audit Office, control over the Government of the Republic regarding the implementation of the state budget and the economical, efficient, effective and lawful use of state assets and state budget funds.
The bill provides for the establishment of a special committee for the supervision of security agencies of the Riigikogu, which supervises the executive state authorities with the activities of security agencies and surveillance agencies, including the guarantee of fundamental rights and the effectiveness of the work of security agencies and surveillance agencies, as well as in matters related to their supervision.
The bill provides for the formation of a special anti-corruption commission, which includes one member from each faction. The committee performs the duties provided for in § 9 of the Anti-Corruption Act and uses the rights arising from the Anti-Corruption Act and the Riigikogu Home and Work Procedure Act to perform its duties.
The draft stipulates setting the upper limit of government members at 12 members. In the explanatory letter, it is stated that the duplicate ministerial offices of one ministry must be re-merged. It concerns the fields of the Ministry of Economy and Communications, Social Affairs and Finance. It is also recommended to merge the Ministries of Environment and Rural Affairs. In other words, the optimal government size could be 11-12 members, which takes into account Estonia's shrinking population and labor shortage in the private sector.
The purpose of the bill is to reduce the reimbursement of expenses related to the work of a member of the Riigikogu. The rate of expense allowances for members of the Riigikogu will be reduced to 10% of the professional salary of the members of the Riigikogu.
The bill provides for replacing the words "European Union Affairs Commission" throughout the law with the words "European Union and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Affairs Commission" in the appropriate case. The draft aims to bring the name of the permanent committee of the Riigikogu - ELAK into line with the changed reality, without changing the committee's current tasks and competence.
For the purpose of legal clarity, the draft aims to supplement § 3 subsection 2 of the Estonian Flag Act and add references to the authors of the anthem and the title of the anthem.