2nd December 2013

Good Governance: First private members’ bills proposed in the newly elected Chamber of Deputies

First Documents of the Chamber (sněmovní tisky) have arrived in the Chamber of Deputies. Among others, several private members’ bills have already occurred. Members of the TOP09 parliamentary party group have proposed a Constitutional Bill on Fiscal Responsibility (zákon o fiskální odpovědnost, also known as finanční ústava). The aim of the Act is to ensure responsible fiscal governance of any public budgets (state, regional and municipal). The Act also stipulates that fiscal governance aims at transparency and efficiency of financial means spent. The deputies intend to create independent mechanism (stipulated by a constitutional Act) that would prevent the current and forthcoming governments diverging from principles of transparent, sparing and efficient fiscal policy. The Act should provide a framework for mechanism under which the Government should inform the Chamber of Deputies in case the debt rate is exceeded (45 per cent proportion of public debt to GDP; in case of 60 per cent proportion to GDP, the Chamber of Deputies must vote on confidence in the Government).

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic