Official translation

Official translation Official translation SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA STATUTE 1 17 February 1994 No.I-399 Vilnius PART 1 STATUS OF THE SEIMAS MEMBER Chapter 1. The Powers and Oath of the Seimas Member Article 1.  The main  rights and  duties of  a member of the Seimas of  the Republic  of Lithuania  shall be  defined  by  the Constitution of  the Republic  of Lithuania  and by this Statute, and other  rights and  duties of  a Seimas  member shall  also be established by other laws of the Republic of Lithuania. In carrying  out his  duties, a  Seimas member  shall act in compliance with  the Constitution  of the  Republic of Lithuania, the interests  of the State, and his own consciences, and may not be restricted by any mandates. Article 2.  The term  of office  of a  Seimas  member  shall commence from  the day that the newly-elected Seimas convenes for the first  sitting. The  powers of  the previously elected Seimas member shall expire upon commencement of said sitting. Elected Seimas  member shall  only acquire all of the rights of a  representative of  the nation  upon taking  an oath  in the Seimas to  be loyal to the Republic of Lithuania. A Seimas member who has  not taken  an oath  shall not  be entitled to the rights provided for  in Chapter 2 of this Statute, shall not be provided with maintenance  and guarantees  of his activities under Chapter 3, and shall not receive the salary of a Seimas member. Article 3.  The text of the oath of the Seimas member of the Republic of Lithuania shall read as follows: "I (full name) swear to be faithful to the Republic of Lithuania; swear to  respect and observe its Constitution and laws, and to protect the integrity of its territory, swear  to  the  best  of  my  ability  to  strengthen  the independence  of  Lithuania,  and  to  conscientiously  serve  my Homeland,  democracy,   and  the  well-being  of  the  people  of Lithuania. So help me God! The oath may be taken omitting the last sentence. Article  4.   The  oath   of  the  Seimas  member  shall  be administered by  the Chairperson  of the  Constitutional Court of the Republic  of Lithuania, or, in the absence of the Chairperson or in  the event  that the  Chairperson is  temporarily unable to discharge  his  or  her  duties,  by  the  acting  judge  of  the Constitutional Court. Each Seimas  member shall  take the  oath while  standing in front of the person who is administering the oath and reading the oath, holding his or her hand on the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. Upon reading the entire text of the oath, each Seimas member shall sign the nominal oath sheet. Nominal oath  sheets shall  be handed over to the officer of the Constitutional Court who administered the oath. Upon checking the nominal  oath sheets,  said officer  shall read  the list  of those Seimas  members who  have acquired  all of  the rights of a                                          2 representative of the nation. Article  5. The  Seimas member who does not take the oath in the manner prescribed  by law,  or who take a conditional oath, shall lose the  mandate of  the Seimas member. The Seimas shall adopt a resolution thereon. The text  of the oath may not be amended or changed with the exception of the omission of the last sentence. The Seimas member who do  not comply  with this  provision, who  refuse to sign the nominal oath  sheet, or  who sign  the sheet  with a stipulation, shall not  be considered  to have  taken the oath. In such cases, the Seimas  member shall  lose the mandate pursuant to Article 59 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. The Seimas  member whose  powers were terminated pursuant to the Constitution  and laws  of the  Republic of Lithuania and who has again become a Seimas member must take the oath again. A Seimas  member must  take an  oath not later than within a month from the first sitting attended by him.     Article 6. The duties of a Seimas member, with the exception of his/her  duties in  the Seimas, shall be incompatible with any other duties  or jobs  in State institutions and organisations as well as  in business,  commercial and  other private institutions and enterprises. For the term of office, a Seimas member shall be exempt from the duty to perform national defence service. A Seimas  member may  be appointed only as Prime Minister or Minister. Article 7.  A Seimas  member shall  have a certificate and a Seimas member badge which shall be presented to him/her after the oath and  which shall  be used  by him/her  during the  period of his/her term of office. Samples of  the Seimas member certificate and badge shall be approved by the Seimas Board. Article  8.   The  powers   of  a  Seimas  member  shall  be terminated: 1) upon  the expiration  of the  term of  his/her powers, or when the  Seimas elected  in preterm  elections convenes  for its first sitting; 2) upon his/ her death; 3) upon his or her resignation; 4) if he or she is declared legally incapable by the court; 5) if  the Seimas  revokes his  or her mandate in accordance with impeachment proceedings; 6) if  the election  is recognised as invalid, or if the law on election is grossly violated; 7) if  he or  she takes a job, or does not resign from a job which is incompatible with the duties of a Seimas member within 3 months; 8) if  he or  she is deprived of citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania. Chapter 2. The Activities of the Seimas Member Article 9.  A member  of  the  Seimas  of  the  Republic  of Lithuania shall have the right to: 1) vote  on all  issues considered  at the  sittings of  the Seimas or the committee of which he/she is a member; 2) elect  and be  elected to  any institution  of the Seimas according to the procedure established by this Statute;                                          3 3) participate  in discussions  concerning all  issues under consideration,  and   express  his/her  opinion,  vocally  or  in writing; 4) submit  the texts  of their  speeches to the chair of the sitting for inclusion into the shorthand record of the sitting; 5) propose the consideration of an issues to the Seimas; 6) prepare  and submit for consideration adequately prepared drafts of laws and other legal acts as well as to propose motions relative to the laws which are to be debated in the Seimas; 7)  pose,  during  sittings  of  the  Seimas,  questions  to reporters and supplementary reporters;  8) make  statements and  remarks, speak  on voting  motives, propose motions  relative to  the conduct  of  the  sitting,  the procedure, prejudicial questions. 9) obtain,  directly or through an assistant, copies of laws and bills,  as well  as copies of laws and other documents passed by the  Seimas, the  Seimas Speaker, the Board, or the meeting of Spokespersons. 10) participate  in  the  sittings  of  all  committees  and commissions of  the Seimas and as necessary to participate in the sittings of  the state power and government institutions at which issues submitted  by him/her  are  discussed,  as  well  as  upon advance notice,  in the  sittings of  the Government  without the right to vote, except the sittings associated with state secrets, the procedure  for the consideration thereof shall be established by laws; 11) submit  inquiries to  the members  of the Government and the heads of other state institutions, and to submit questions to them and to the Seimas officers; 12) no  more frequently  than once  in a  month make  use of state radio  and television  on issues  of his activities free of charge. The procedure  for the  implementation of  these  and  other rights shall be established by other Articles of this Statute. Article 10.  The Seimas  member must  participate in  Seimas sittings during  votings which  were planned in advance. A voting which was  announced at  least two  days prior  to the day of the voting shall be considered to have been planned in advance. Each member of the Seimas, with the exception of the members of the  Seimas Board  and the  Government, must  be a member of a committee and must participate in the work thereof, and must also be an  alternate member  of another committee. The Speaker of the Seimas may  not be a member or alternate member of a committee. A single Seimas member may be a member of only one committee. Article 11.  While participating  in sittings  of the Seimas and the committees, Seimas members must adhere to this Statute. If a  Seimas member  cannot attend  a sitting  of the Seimas during which  a voting  has been  planned for in advance, he/ she must inform  the secretariat of the sittings thereof, stating the reason for absence. If a  Seimas member cannot attend a sitting of the committee or  commission,   he/she  must  inform  the  chairperson  of  the committee or  commission, and in the chairperson's absence -- the deputy chairperson. During a  session Seimas members must notify the chairperson (in the  absence of the chairperson -- the deputy chairperson) of the committee  of which  they are  members of  all of their trips beyond the  boundaries of  the Republic  of Lithuania, and during the sittings of the Seimas -- of their trips within the territory of the Republic of Lithuania. Upon returning  from a  business trip,  a Seimas member must present a  report to  the Seimas  Board or the committee on which he/she is a member concerning the fulfillment of assignments. 4 Article 12.  The Seimas  member must regularly hold meetings with his/her  constituents. He/she shall have the right to invite officials of  state institutions  and local government bodies and deputies to participate in the meetings. A  Seimas  member  shall  consider  proposals,  appeals  and complaints and,  as necessary,  shall refer  them to  appropriate state institutions for consideration. Officials to  whom a  Seimas member's  appeal was  addressed including proposals,  appeals and  complaints  of  citizens  must consider said appeals within 20 days of the receipt thereof. Chapter 3. Maintenance and Guarantees of the Activities of Seimas Members Article 13. Local governments and their executive bodies, as well  as   heads   of   state   enterprises,   institutions   and organisations,  must   provide  Seimas  members  with  conditions enabling them  to meet with constituents, must notify them of the time and place of such meetings, and must provide them with other necessary assistance and information. Respective  local   governments  must   allot  and  maintain permanent premises  for  Seimas  members  elected  in  a  single- candidate areas  to receive  constituents.  As  necessary,  local governments must  allot properly  arranged  premises  for  Seimas members elected  in multi-candidate  electoral areas  to  receive constituents and hold meetings The Seimas  member shall  have the  right to  demand  to  be received without  delay at  state enterprises,  institutions  and organisations  concerning   issues  which   pertain  to   his/her activities, as  well as  the right  to be provided with necessary information. The Seimas  member shall  have  the  right  to  unrestricted access of  all enterprises,  institutions and  organisations. The visitation   procedure    for   enterprises,   institutions   and organisations whose  activities are associated with state secrets shall be established by laws. Article 14.  Upon establishing  that civil  rights and  laws have been  violated, a  Seimas member  shall have  the  right  to directly demand  that the  violation be corrected, or may address the appropriate  institutions and  officers. Violations  shall be indicated in  the minutes taken together with the representatives of law enforcement or control body.     If the legitimate demands of a Seimas member are not carried out, a  disciplinary punishment  may, according  to the procedure established by law, be imposed on the officer who is responsible; Article 15.  Compensation for the work of the Seimas member, as well  as expenses related with their parliamentary activities, shall be covered by the State Budget. The salary  of Seimas  members and the procedure for payment thereof shall  be established  by the  Seimas. Resolutions of the Seimas concerning changes in the salaries of Seimas members shall become effective  only from the day that the newly-elected Seimas convenes for the first sitting. Seimas members  who at  the same  time hold  office  at  the Seimas shall  be paid  supplemental salaries, the amount of which shall be  established by  the Seimas,  for their work. The Seimas member may  not receive  any other  salary, with the exception of payment for  creative activities. Payments made to Seimas members for creative  activities shall include royalties for works of art and literature,  for radio  and television  programmes as well as hourly salaries for educational, scientific and consultative work performed by  Seimas members  not  during  the  sittings  of  the Seimas, its committees and commissions. 5 Article 16.  The Seimas  member shall  be entitled  to  have personal secretary-assistants  or joint secretary-assistants with other members  of their  respective parliamentary  groups,  whose salaries shall  be paid  from the  State Budget;  they  are  also entitled to have assistants who work on a voluntary basis. Seimas members  shall be  allocated additional funds for the reimbursement   of    office,   postal,   telephone,   telegraph, transportation, and  other expenses  incurred from  parliamentary activities --  the amount  and the  procedure for payment thereof shall be established by the Seimas Board. Seimas members  who do  not have  a place  of  residence  in Vilnius  or   who  have  the  right  to  state  support  for  the acquisition  of  a  place  of  residence  in  Vilnius,  shall  be provided, free of charge and together with their families, with a place of residence in Vilnius for the term of office. At the same time said  members shall  retain the right to use rented quarters in their permanent place of residence. Seimas members  who have  the right to state support for the acquisition of  a place  of residence shall retain this right and may remain on the list to acquire state support. Seimas members  shall have  the right  to use  all forms  of state transportation  within the  territory of  the  Republic  of Lithuania, with  the exception  of taxis,  free of  charge;  they shall also have the right to acquire hotel rooms out of turn. The Seimas  member shall  use diplomatic  passports on trips abroad and Lithuanian diplomatic missions abroad must provide him with necessary assistance. Article 17. Upon expiration of the term of office and in the cases specified  in paragraphs  1 and  3 of  Article  8  of  this Statute, Seimas  members must  be provided with the job or office which  they   held  in   state  institutions,   enterprises   and organisations prior  to the  elections, except  to be  elected to governmental institutions  and be a member of the Government, and if such  is not possible due to the abolition of former office or the liquidation  of the enterprise, institution, or organisation, the Seimas  member shall  be provided with another equivalent job or office  in the  same institution, enterprise, or organisation, or,  if   the  Seimas  members  agrees,  in  another  enterprise, institution, or organisation. The period of parliamentary activity of Seimas members shall be included in the total length of service.  The  election   of  Seimas   members  shall   not  interrupt membership in creative unions or in unions of free professions. Article 18. Persons and officers who prevent a Seimas member from carrying  out his  or her  powers, or  who encroach upon the life  health,   honor,  or  dignity  of  a  Seimas  member  as  a representative of the people, shall be liable according to laws. Chapter 4. Discipline and Immunity of Seimas Members Article 19. It shall be prohibited to use the mandate of the Seimas member  for purposes  other  than  the  interests  of  the Nation, State and the constituents. This provision violating the activities of the Seimas member must be  analysed by the Commission of Ethics and Procedures or a special investigation  commission set up for this purpose and for the preparation of findings. Article 20.  The Commission  of Ethics  and Procedures shall analise  the  reasons  for  which  the  Seimas  members  are  not participating during  planned voting  or voting taking place at a planned  time   and  shall   decide  whether   such  reasons  are                                          6 justifiable; The salaries of such Seimas members may be decreased according to  the procedure  established by  the Seimas, and upon the decision  of the  Commission of  Ethics and  procedure, their names may be announced in the press. Article 21.  If during  a sitting  a Seimas member begins to argue with Seimas members or other participants in the sitting or creates a  disturbance in  the hall,  he or  she may be called to order by the officer presiding over the sitting. If said  persons does  not heed  the warning  of the officer presiding over  the sitting,  the warning  may be recorded in the minutes of  the sitting.  Warnings recorded in the minutes of the sitting may be immediately administered to the Seimas member as a public threat  to colleagues,  as assault of a Seimas member or a group thereof,  or as  dishonesty in  voting or  violation of the principle of personal voting. Such warnings shall be administered by the officer presiding over the  Seimas sitting  or on  the motion  of the Commission of Ethics and  Procedures without debate and by simple majority vote of the  Seimas members  participating in  the sitting.  A  Seimas member to  whom administration of such warning is proposed, shall have the  right to explain his or her actions to the Seimas for a maximum of 3 minutes prior to the voting. Article 22.  The Seimas  may temporarily  dismiss  a  Seimas member from the chamber if he or she: 1) continues,  after being called to order, to interrupt the work of the Seimas; 2) during  a sitting,  calls for the use coercion or uses it personally; 3) publicly  assaults or  threatens  the  President  of  the Republic, the  Seimas, the Speaker of the Seimas, Seimas members, the Government, or the Prime Minister during a sitting. Decisions concerning  the expulsion  of a Seimas member from the chamber  shall  be  adopted  without  debate  and  by  simple majority vote  of the  members of the Seimas participating in the sitting on the proposal of the officer presiding over the sitting or of the Commission of Ethics and Procedures. The term  of temporary  expulsion from  the chamber shall be established by  the Seimas in each case, but may not be more than 2 day  of a  sitting. If  the term  is not indicated, it shall be assumed that  the Seimas  member is expelled until the end of the sitting. During  the  period  of  expulsion  from  the  chamber,  the expelled Seimas member may not participate in voting. If a  Seimas member  who has been dismissed from the chamber refuses to  heed the  order, the  sitting  shall  be  temporarily interrupted and security officers shall escort said Seimas member to the  chamber door.  In such a case, the term of expulsion from the chamber may be extended for the period of 5 sittings. Article  23.   The  person  of  a  Seimas  member  shall  be inviolable. A Seimas  member may not be persecuted for his or her voting or  speeches  in  the  Seimas,  however,  legal  actions  may  be instituted  against  Seimas  members  according  to  the  general procedure if they are guilty of personal insult or slander. A Seimas member may not be found criminally responsible, may not  be   arrested,  and  may  not  be  subjected  to  any  other restrictions of  personal freedom  without  the  consent  of  the Seimas, except  in cases  when he  or she is caught in the act of committing a  crime (in  flagranti). In such cases the Prosecutor General must immediately notify the Seimas thereof. A Seimas  member who  refuses to give evidence in a criminal case, shall,  on the  decision of the Seimas, be brought to court                                          7 to give evidence. Article  24.   For  the  consideration  of  motions  of  the Prosecutor   General    concerning   the   deprivation   of   the inviolability of  the person of a Seimas member, an investigatory commission shall  be formed  according to  the procedure provided for in  Article 77  of this  Statute. When  investigating  issues concerning the  deprivation of the inviolability of the person of a Seimas  member, the  commission must hear said Seimas member or other Seimas  member authorised thereby and a representative from the Prosecutor's Office. After  the   investigatory  commission   has  prepared   and announced its  note and  the draft  resolution, issues concerning the deprivation  of the  inviolability of  the person of a Seimas member shall  be included  on  the  agenda  of  the  next  Seimas sitting. Consideration of  this issue,  as well  as of  the submitted resolution,  shall   be  limited   only  to  the  interpretation, assessment or definition of facts provided for in the motion. Discussions concerning draft resolutions shall be attended by the reporter of  the  commission,  the  concerned  Seimas  member  or another Seimas  member representing  him, and  no more  than  two Seimas members  who speak  out "in  favour" and  two members  who speak out "against" the draft resolution. If the draft resolution provides for  the satisfaction  of the  motion of  the Prosecutor General, it  may be  adopted if  more than  half  of  the  Seimas members vote in favour of the draft. Upon the  receipt of  the consent of the Seimas to institute criminal proceedings  against a Seimas member, said Seimas member may not be arrested within the house of the Seimas. PART 2 STRUCTURE OF THE SEIMAS Chapter 5. General Issues of Structure Article 25. Sittings of the Seimas shall be presided over by the Speaker  of the  Seimas or  a Deputy  Speaker. There shall be three Deputy  Speakers. The  competence of the Seimas Speaker and Deputy Speakers  shall be  defined by  the Constitution  and this Statute. The  drafting of  the Seimas documents and consideration of drafts shall be monitored by the Chancellor of the Seimas. If a  member of  the Seimas  who is  elected Speaker  or  is serving  as   acting  Speaker   he  or   she  must   suspend  all parliamentary group activities. Article 26.  The Seimas shall form committees from among its members for  the consideration  of draft  laws and  other  issues assigned to  its competence  by the Constitution. The list of the committees shall be established by this Statute. A Commission  of Ethics  and Procedure and an Administrative Commission shall  be formed  in the  Seimas. For resolving short- term issues  or issues  of narrower  scope and  for carrying  out concrete assignments,  the Seimas  may, from  among its  members, form investigative,  control, auditing, preparatory, drafting and other ad hoc commissions. The work of the committees and commissions shall be directed by the respective chairpersons thereof. Article 27.  Members of  the Seimas  may form  parliamentary groups according to the procedure established by this Statute for implementing their political goals. Parliamentary groups shall be headed and  represented in  the Seimas by Spokespersons or deputy Spokespersons;  every  member  of  the  Seimas  authorised  by  a parliamentary group  may speak  out on  behalf of  the group. The rights of  parliamentary group  members shall  be established  by this Statute.                             8 Seimas members who have not been registered in parliamentary groups shall  be considered  as members  of one  mixed  group  of Seimas members.  The mixed  group  of  Seimas  members  shall  be granted all  of the  rights of a parliamentary group provided for in this Statute. Article 28.  The Seimas  shall have  a Board,  the principle task whereof shall be to settle organisational issues of the work of the Seimas. The Board  of the Seimas shall consist of the Speaker, three Deputy Speakers, and the Chancellor of the Seimas. Article 29.  An Assembly of Spokespersons, comprising of the members  of   the  Seimas   Board  and   representatives  of  the parliamentary  groups,  shall  be  formed  in  the  Seimas.  Each parliamentary group  shall appoint  one representative  for every ten members  of the  group. Groups  consisting of  less than  ten members shall  each appoint one representative to the Assembly of Spokespersons. The principle task of the Assembly of Spokespersons shall be to consider and approve the work programmes of the Seimas session and the  agendas of sittings, to coordinate issues concerning the organisation of the work of the Seimas Committees and groups, and to submit  drafts of  the decisions  of said issues to the Seimas and the Board. Chapter 6. The Seimas Speaker, Deputy Speakers, Chancellor, and Board Article 30.  The Speaker  of the  Seimas of  the Republic of Lithuania shall: 1) direct the work of the Seimas and represent the Seimas; 2) certify  with his  or her  signature the  authenticity of laws passed  by the  Seimas and  referred to the President of the Republic; sign  the resolutions of the Seimas, the Statute of the Seimas and  amendments thereto,  the minutes  of sittings  of the Seimas, the  resolutions of  the Seimas  Board, other acts of the Seimas, as  well as  laws of  the Republic of Lithuania which are not signed  by the  President of the Republic and not returned to the Seimas  for repeat consideration within 10 days from the date on which they were submitted to the President of the Republic; 3) temporarily  carry out the duties of the President of the Republic and  temporarily  fill  in  for  the  President  of  the Republic  in   the  cases   specified  in   Article  89   of  the Constitution; 4) propose  candidates to  the posts  of Deputy Speakers and the Chancellor of the Seimas to the Seimas; 5) propose  candidates to Constitutional Court judges to the Seimas in  accordance  with  the  procedure  established  by  the Constitution; 6) nominate  to the  Seimas the  candidatures of  the Seimas ombudsmen and  the head  of the  Seimas  ombudsmen's  office  for appointment; 7) submit  candidates for  appointment to the posts of heads of State  institutions to the Seimas, unless the Constitution and laws provide otherwise; 8) preside  over the  sittings of  the Seimas and the Seimas Board; 9) submit  drafts of  the work  programmes of  a session and draft agendas  of week-  or day-long  sittings to the Assembly of Spokespersons; and 10) submit  draft agendas  of the  sittings  of  the  Seimas Board. Article 31.  In carrying  out his or her duties, the Speaker                                          9 of the Seimas shall issue decrees. The Speaker  of the  Seimas,  or,  in  the  absence  of  the Speaker, the  Deputy Speaker, may voice his or her opinion or the opinion of  the Seimas Board on the issue under consideration out of turn,  provided that  he or  she is  not  presiding  over  the sitting. The Speaker  of the  Seimas, the  Deputy  Speakers  and  the Chancellor of  the Seimas shall, during a session at least once a month,  answer  questions  submitted  in  writing  beforehand  by members of the Seimas concerning the performance of their duties. Article 32.  At the  behest of  the Speaker  of the  Seimas, Deputy Speakers  shall perform  certain functions of the Speaker. The Seimas  Speaker may  charge the  Deputy  Speaker  to  perform certain functions of the Seimas Chancellor in his or her absence, but for  no longer  than one week. The Seimas Board may determine the guidelines of the activities of the Deputy Speakers. In the  event that  the Speaker of the Seimas is temporarily absent or  has fallen  ill and  by reason  thereof is  unable  to fulfill his or her duties of office, the duties of the Speaker of the Seimas,  at the  behest of  the Seimas, shall be performed by one of the Deputy Speakers for a specified period. If,  in   the  cases   specified  in   Article  89   of  the Constitution, the  Speaker of  the Seimas is temporarily carrying out the  duties of the President of the Republic, and as a result thereof has  lost his  or her powers in the Seimas, the duties of the Speaker  of the  Seimas shall be temporarily carried out by a Deputy Speaker at the behest of the Seimas. Resolutions (preliminary  or adopted  for a  concrete  case) concerning the temporary performance of the duties of the Speaker of the  Seimas or substituting the Speaker of the Seimas shall be adopted by the Seimas on the motion of the Seimas Speaker. Article 33. The Seimas Chancellor shall: 1) supervise  the consideration  of draft  laws submitted to the Seimas  and the  drafting of  the documents of the Seimas and the Board thereof; 2) supervise  the consideration  of  issues,  inquiries  and interpellations submitted  to the  Government and  the  heads  of other State institutions; 3) consider  the issues  raised by  members  of  the  Seimas concerning the functioning of the Seimas apparatus; supervise the implementation of  the decisions  of  the  Seimas  Board  by  the divisions of  the Seimas  apparatus as  well as  their compliance with  the  provisions  and  internal  rules  which  regulate  the functioning thereof; 4) assist  the Speaker  of the Seimas in preparing the draft of the  session work programme as well as draft agendas for week- and day-long sittings; 5) assist  the Speaker  of the  Seimas  in  preparing  draft agendas for  sittings of the Seimas Board as well as the material on issues subject to consideration; 6) work out draft agendas for the Assembly of Spokespersons; 7) visa official documents prior to their being submitted to the Speaker  of the  Seimas for signing and, within the limits of his or her competence, sign official documents; 8) be responsible for the use and keeping of the Seimas Seal bearing the State Emblem; 9) propose  members to the tellers' group in accordance with the procedure provided for in this Statute; 10) regularly  submit information  summaries to  the  Seimas concerning proposals, wishes and letters received from voters; 11) in conjunction with representatives of the parliamentary groups, arrange  the seats  in the chamber for the members of the parliamentary groups  and for  those members of the Seimas who do not belong  to any  parliamentary group and allocate premises for                                          10 the sittings of the parliamentary groups; and 12) consider  issues concerning  the employment or dismissal of assistants/secretaries of Seimas members. Article 34.  The sittings  of  the  Seimas  Board  shall  be convened and presided over by the Speaker of the Seimas. Other  members   of  the   Seimas,  as   well  as  permanent representatives  of   the  President  of  the  Republic  and  the Government, may  participate in  the sittings  of  the  Board  as observers. Other  individuals may  also be invited to sittings of the Board. Issues for  consideration may  be submitted  to  the  Seimas Board by  the Board  members, committees,  parliamentary  groups, Administrative commission, Commission of Ethics and Procedure and the Head of Seimas Personnel. Draft documents  of the Seimas Board which are submitted for consideration shall be signed by their initiators and handed over to the  Chancellor of  the Seimas who shall prepare the agenda of the sitting based thereon. Article 35.  Decisions of  the Seimas Board shall be adopted by ordinary  vote and  simple majority  of those  in  attendance, provided that  the sitting  of the Seimas Board is attended by at least three  Board members.  A tie  vote shall  be decided by the vote of  the Speaker  or, in  the absence  of the Speaker, of the Deputy Speaker who is presiding over the sitting. The members of the Seimas shall be informed of the decisions of the  Seimas Board  through the  committees  and  parliamentary groups within  three working  days from  the  day  on  which  the decision was  adopted during  a session  or within  a week of the beginning of the next session. Committees and  parliamentary groups may submit proposals to the Seimas concerning the consideration of resolutions adopted by the Seimas Board which they disapprove of. Article 36. The Seimas Board shall: 1) distribute  funds; discuss and approve estimated expenses of the Seimas; 2) on  the motion  of the  committees, consider and send the Seimas members  on business  trips with  tasks of the Seimas, the Board, and committees; 3) on  the motion  of parliamentary  committees and  groups, consider and  either approve  or disapprove  of trips  of  Seimas members during  session which  are not financed from the funds of the Seimas; 4) when  necessary, consider  draft work  programmes of  the Seimas session  and draft  agendas for  forthcoming week- or day- long sessions,  and submit  recommendations to  the  Assembly  of Spokespersons or the Seimas; 5) when necessary, form working groups for drafting laws and carrying out the instructions of the Seimas or the Seimas Board; 6) submit  draft laws  and other draft acts of the Seimas to committees for  consideration and  presentation of  findings  and proposals thereon; 7) assist  in organising  the joint  work of  committees  on issues which fall within the competence of several committees; 8) appoint  and dismiss  the Head  of Seimas  Personnel, who shall be responsible and accountable to the Board; 9) approve  the structure of the Seimas apparatus, draw up a list of  the staff  of the Seimas apparatus, and fix the salaries thereof; 10) on  the motion  of the Head of Seimas Personnel, appoint and dismiss  the heads  and deputy  heads of  all the  structural units of the Seimas; 11) approve  the bylaws  of  the  structural  units  of  the                                          11 Seimas,  the   regulations  of   internal  activities   and   the instructions for office-work; and 12) settle  other issues  related to the organisation of the activities  of  the  Seimas  which  are  not  ascribed  to  other institutions or  officials  of  the  Seimas  by  virtue  of  this Statute. Chapter 4. Assembly of Seimas Spokespersons Article 37.  During session, the sittings of the Assembly of Spokespersons shall  be organised regularly, usually twice a week at a  time specially  allocated for  this purpose.  Extraordinary sittings of  the Assembly  of Spokespersons shall be organised at the request  of  the  Speaker  of  the  Seimas,  the  Board,  the Chairperson of  the Assembly of Spokespersons, or at least 1/3 of the members  of the Assembly of Spokespersons. The members of the Assembly of  Spokespersons shall  be given notice of the time and agenda of  extraordinary sittings  at least  6 hours prior to the beginning thereof. Sittings of  the Assembly  of Spokespersons shall be chaired by the  chairperson; the  duties of the chairperson, according to the schedule  approved by the Assembly of Spokespersons, shall be discharged in  turn by  the spokespersons  of each  parliamentary group for  one week.  The opening  sitting  of  the  Assembly  of Spokespersons held  during the first session shall be presided by the eldest parliamentary group spokesperson. Article  38.   During  its   sittings,   the   Assembly   of Spokespersons shall: 1) consider  and coordinate rising contradictions related to the work programme of a session; 2) consider and approve the agendas of the forthcoming week- or day-long sittings; 3) consider  and coordinate  contradictions concerning other organizational issues of the work of the Seimas; 4) hear  the proposals of the chairpersons of committees and Spokespersons of  the parliamentary  groups on  mutual  relations between committees  and parliamentary groups and submit proposals thereon to the Seimas or the Board; 5) submit recommendations to the Seimas Board concerning the resolution of issues which are ascribed to its competence; and 6) perform  the function  of a  coordinative  (conciliatory) committee in  the event of principal disagreements concerning top priorities considered in the Seimas. Article 39. With the exception of resolutions concerning the agendas of  the  forthcoming  week-  or  day-long  sittings,  the resolutions  of   the  Assembly   of   Spokespersons   shall   be consultative with regard to the Seimas and the Seimas Board.     Consultative resolutions of the Assembly of Spokespersons as well as  resolutions concerning  the organisation  of the work of the Assembly  itself shall  be adopted by simple majority vote of the members of the Seimas taking part in the sitting. Resolutions concerning the  draft work  programme of  the Seimas  session, as well as  draft agendas  of the  forthcoming week-  or  day-  long sittings shall  be adopted  provided that  they are opposed by no more than  1/3 of  the member  of the  Assembly of  Spokespersons participating in the sitting of the Assembly of Spokespersons. If any item  of the  agenda is  adopted by  majority  vote,  but  is opposed by  more than  1/3 of  the members  of  the  Assembly  of Spokespersons,  they   shall  be   submitted  to  the  Seimas  as recommendations. Resolutions of the sittings of the Assembly of Spokespersons shall be  recorded in  the minutes of the sitting, which shall be signed by  the chairperson  of the  sitting of  the  Assembly  of Spokespersons.                            12 Questions for  consideration ascribed  to the  competence of the Assembly  of Spokespersons  may be  proposed and submitted to the  Seimas   Chancellor  by  the  members  of  the  Assembly  of Spokespersons, the  Government, as  well as  other members of the Seimas who submit draft laws. The draft agenda of sittings of the Assembly of  Spokespersons shall be drawn up by the Chancellor of the Seimas according to such proposals. Other  members   of  the   Seimas  as   well  as   permanent representatives  of  the  President  and  Government  may  attend sittings of  the Assembly  of Spokespersons  with  the  right  of observers. Other  individuals may  also be invited to sittings of the Assembly of Spokespersons. Chapter 8. Parliamentary Groups of the Seimas Article 40.  Seimas members  shall form parliamentary groups voluntarily, not restricted by any mandates. Parliamentary groups may not  be established  on the basis of professional or internal interests. A parliamentary group shall consist of at least three Seimas members. A  member of  the Seimas  may be  a member  of only  one parliamentary group. The  spokesperson   of  the   parliamentary  group,   deputy spokesperson or  the member of the parliamentary group authorized by it shall have the right to represent in the Seimas such a part of the  Seimas members,  established by this Statute, which their parliamentary group forms in the Seimas. Parliamentary  groups  shall  establish  their  own  working procedure, provided that it does not contradict this Statute. Parliamentary groups  may join into coalitions which may act as one parliamentary group. Article 41.  Seimas members who wish to form a parliamentary group shall  present an  application signed by them to the Seimas Speaker during  the session. The name of the parliamentary group, as well as the names of the spokesperson and deputy spokespersons must be stated in this application. If a  parliamentary group  formed by Seimas members complies with the  requirements of  this Statute,  the Seimas Speaker must within one  week announce the establishment of this parliamentary group at the Seimas sitting. The Seimas  Speaker shall  be notified  in  writing  of  any changes  in   the  composition,   leadership,  or   name   of   a parliamentary group,  of the  termination of  the activities of a parliamentary group or of its breakts -up,  as   well  as   of  formation   of  the  coalition  of  the parliamentary groups  no later than on the following working day; the Seimas  Speaker shall  announce such  information at the next Seimas sitting. Article 42.  Parliamentary groups  or their coalitions which disagree with  the Governmental  programme may declare themselves opposition parliamentary groups. To this  effect, opposition  parliamentary groups  or  their coalitions shall  proclaim in  the Seimas  political declarations where the  provisions distinguishing  them from the parliamentary majority shall  be set  forth. Opposition parliamentary groups or their  coalitions   shall   announce   alternative   Governmental programmes. Opposition parliamentary groups or their coalitions shall be guaranteed all  the rights  of parliamentary groups or coalitions which are provided for in this Statute. No reason may provide for the restriction of such rights. The spokesperson  of one  parliamentary group constituting a part of  an opposition coalition may be elected the leader of the                                          13 opposition coalition;  the Seimas  shall be given a public notice of such election. PART 3 COMMITTEES and COMMISSIONS of the SEIMAS Chapter 9. Seimas Committees and the Procedure for the Establishment thereof Article 43.  Committees of  the Seimas  of the  Republic  of Lithuania shall be formed during the first session. At the  beginning of  each regular  session, reports  on the work of  the committee shall be heard, and, as necessary, changes in the  membership of  the committee shall be made by adhering to the principle  of proportional representation of the majority and the minority  ( opposition  and other  parliamentary groups other than the  Seimas majority  and  mixed  parliamentary  groups)  or committees shall be formed anew. Article 44.  Committees shall  be made  up of no less than 7 and no  more than  17 members  of the  Seimas  according  to  the proportional principle  of representation.  The exact  number  of members of  each committee  shall be  determined by a decision of the Seimas.  Seats in  the committees  shall be distributed among parliamentary groups during the Assembly of the Spokespersons. The minority ( the opposition and parliamentary groups other than the  Seimas   majority  and  mixed  parliamentary  groups)  shall distribute among themselves seats in the committees, according to the number of seats approved by Assembly of the Spokespersons. Parliamentary groups, taking into consideration the requests and  competence   of  their   members,  shall  recommend  to  the committees as  many members as they are accorded seats as well as the same  number of  alternate committee members. Applications of parliamentary groups bearing the signatures of recommended Seimas members shall be submitted to the Seimas Chancellor. Each parliamentary  group shall submit its candidates to the alternate members  of the  committees having  registered them  in numerical order. The members  and alternate  members of  committees shall  be approved by  the Seimas  by voting  for the  entire list  of  the members and  alternate members  of the  committee. If the list is not approved, the entire procedure shall begin anew. Article  45.   When  a   member  of  a  committee  does  not participate in  a sitting  of the  committee,  all  of  the  said member's rights  shall be  given to  the alternate  member of the committee of the same parliamentary group who is the first in the list of alternate members. The Seimas  member who  is substituting  for a member of his parliamentary group  in a  given committee  may not  serve as the chairperson or vice-chairperson of that committee while doing so. Article 46.  Committees shall  elect their  chairpersons and deputy   chairpersons.    Committee   chairpersons   and   deputy chairpersons shall be approved by the Seimas. In the  event that  the Seimas does not approve the proposed candidate, the  committee must  select another candidate. Usually the committee chairperson and deputy chairperson are elected from the representatives  of different  parliamentary groups,  and the total number  of chairpersons  and  deputy  chairpersons  of  the committees accorded  to the  majority and the minority must be in proportion to the number of Seimas members belonging to them. Members of  the Seimas  Board, members of the Seimas and the Government, and  commission chairpersons  and deputy chairpersons may not serve as a committee chairpersons or deputy chairpersons. When a  committee is  being reorganised, the chairperson and                                          14 deputy  chairperson  of  the  committee  shall  be  reelected.  A committee may  reelect the  chairperson or  deputy chairperson at any other  time by applying to the Seimas for approval of the new chairperson or  deputy chairperson.  In the event that the Seimas does not  approve the  new chairperson or deputy chairperson, the former chairperson shall remain, and the committee may only apply to the  Seimas concerning  the same issue during the next regular session. Article  47.   For  the  execution  of  their  main  duties, committees may form subcommittees from their members. Subcommittee must  comprise at least 5 members. Subcommittee chairpersons shall be elected by the committee. The regulations  of the  subcommittees shall  be approved by the committees. Article 48.  The following  committees shall be appointed in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania: 1) Agriculture; 2) Budget and Finance; 3) Economics; 4) Environmental Protection; 5) National Security; 6) Municipal Government 7) Health, Social Affairs and Labour 8) Education, Science and Culture 9)Foreign Affairs 10) State and Law 11) Human and Civil Rights and Nationality Affairs. Chapter 10. Powers and Procedure of the Seimas Committees Article 49.  The trends  of activities  of committees of the Seimas of  the Republic of Lithuania, as well as their powers and procedure shall  be established by this Statute and other laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Seimas committees  shall report  and be  accountable to  the Seimas. During the  time established to discuss and present findings on matters  given to  them  for  consideration,  committees  must perform other tasks assigned to them by the Seimas. The activities of the committees shall be coordinated by the Chairperson and  Chancellor of  the Seimas in accordance with the session work programmes and committee work plans. Article 50.  The main  powers of the committees with respect to issues within their competence are: 1) to debate bills, prepare conclusions, and consider issues referred to the committee; 2) on  its own initiative or at the behest of the Seimas, to prepare drafts  of the  Laws of  the Republic of Lithuania and of other legal  acts, and  to establish in due time the necessity of new laws or the amendments to laws in effect; 3) seeking  to improve  the laws,  to prepare  and  consider issues related  to state,  economic, social and cultural matters, and to present proposals subject to debate in the Seimas; 4) to consider the Government Programme; 5) to  discuss candidates  for heads  of state  institutions which are appointed by the Seimas or for the appointment of which the approval  of the  Seimas is necessary, as well as to consider their dismissal from office; 7) to  preliminarily discuss the chapters of the State draft budget of  the Republic  of  Lithuania  and  accounts  on  budget performance; 8)  while  performing  parliamentary  supervision,  to  hear                                          15 information and  reports furnished  by ministries and other state institutions  on   the  manner   by  which  the  laws  are  being implemented; 9) to  consider proposals  of individual  persons and public organisations and,  as necessary,  to refer  them alongside  with recommendations to state institutions; 10) to  prepare work plans of the committee coordinated with the session work programme; 11) prepare  the  estimate  of  the  committee  expenditures within the amount appropriated for the committee; 12) to take part in the inter-parliamentary relations of the Seimas. Article 51.  In discussing  issues  that  are  within  their competence,  the   committees  shall   have  equal   rights   and responsibilities,  and   shall  be  responsible  for  the  timely discussion of certain laws, for the initiation of the preparation of  these  laws,  and  the  commission  of  detailed  conclusions relative to draft laws. Issues which are within the competence of several committees may be  prepared and  discussed by  these committees  jointly  on their own initiative or at the behest of the Seimas or its Board. For this purpose they may set up joint working groups, hold joint committee  sittings   which  shall   be  presided   over  by  the chairpersons of these committees in succession. Committees shall  have the  right to submit proposals to the Seimas or  its Board  concerning the  passing over  of the issues under discussion to another committee for consideration. Committees shall have the right to present their comments on issues discussed  by another committee, as well as to ask another committee to  present its  conclusions, which  must be  submitted within 15 days. Article 52.  The committees of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania shall  work according to committee-approved plans which must be  coordinated with  the work program of the session of the Seimas. Responsible  executers and  the terms  of  implementation shall be  indicated in these work plans. Committee work plans and the agenda  of the  sittings  shall  be  publicly  announced  and distributed to the Chairperson of the Seimas, the Chancellor, and the subdivisions of the Seimas apparatus. Committees may confirm the rules of their procedure provided that they do not contradict this statute. Article 53.  Committee members  shall have  the right  of  a decisive vote on all issues within the committee's jurisdiction. Committee members  shall also  have  the  right  to  propose issues for  consideration, and  to participate in the preparation and consideration thereof; to propose to invite necessary persons to  committee   sittings;  to  submit  proposals  concerning  the inspection  of  state  institutions  and  the  hearing  of  their information. Committee  members  shall  have  the  right  to  get acquainted with  all documents  and  material  belonging  to  the committee and, as necessary, to make use of them in their work. Article 54. The chairperson of the committee shall: 1) convene  sittings of the committee and see that necessary documents and other material be prepared for them; 2)  assign,   according  to  the  approved  work  plans  and decisions of  the committee,  tasks to the committee members, and provide  them   with  material  and  documents  relating  to  the activities of the committee; 3) for  the execution  of the  work plan  of the  committee, organise  members   of  the  committee  to  work  in  preparatory commissions and  working groups,  and to discharge other tasks of the committee;                            16 4) invite  necessary persons  to participate in the sittings of the committee; 5) preside over sittings of the committee; 6) sign  the resolutions  of the committee, the findings and minutes of  the sittings,  as well  as the draft laws prepared by the committee which are submitted to the Seimas or the public for consideration, and  shall visa  adopted laws and other legal acts of the Seimas prepared by the committee; 7) represent  the committee  in its  work with  other  state institutions and public organisations; 8)  organise   the   implementation   of   the   committee's resolutions; 9) regularly notify members of the committee of received law drafts, new  assignments for  the committee, the execution of the resolutions   of    the   committee,   consideration   of   their recommendations, and work in representing the committee. 10) notify the Commission of Ethics and Procedure of members who do  not attend  sittings of  the committee  and who  are  not fulfilling the  assignments set  forth in  paragraph  2  of  this Article; 11) coordinate  the activities  of the  subcommittees of the committee. At  the behest of the chairperson of the committee, a vice- chairperson shall discharge certain functions of the chairperson. The vice-chairperson  shall fill  in for the chairperson when the chairperson cannot  discharge his  or her  functions  because  of temporary absence or illness. Article  55.   Committee  sittings  shall  be  organized  as necessary during  sessions, but at least once a week and normally on Wednesdays.  Committee sittings  shall not be organized during sittings of  the Seimas. Between ordinary sessions of the Seimas, there shall normally be one-month adjournments in the work of the committees, although committees may have sitting between sessions as necessary. Committee sittings  shall be called on the initiative of the committee chairperson  or of more than one third of the committee members, or upon the instruction of the Seimas or the Board. Committees may have closed sittings. Article 56. Committee sittings shall be presided over by the chairperson of  the committee or by a deputy chairperson upon the instruction of the chairperson. Prior to the Seimas's approval of a committee  chairperson, sittings  shall be presided over by the eldest member  of the committee. In committee sittings, including closed sittings, members of the Seimas who are not members of the committee may participate with the right of deliberative vote. The committees may invite to their sittings other members of the  Seimas,   as  well   as  members   of  municipal   councils, representatives of  ministries, other  state institutions, public organisations and  other necessary  persons having coordinated it with heads of these institutions. Article 57.  The sittings  of the  Committee shall be deemed                                          17 lawful when  more than  half of the committee members are present at the sitting. Committee  decisions   shall  be  adopted  by  open,  simple majority vote  of the  committee  members  participating  in  the sitting. In  the event of a tie vote, the vote of the chairperson of the committee shall be decisive. If the  committee minority, which consists of at least three Seimas members,  expresses a separate opinion concerning an issue discussed by  the  committee,  this  opinion  must  be  announced together with the decision of the committee. Decisions shall  be adopted  in joint  sittings  of  several committees if  each committee  expresses their  support  for  the decision. Committee decisions  and conclusions  shall be  presented to the Seimas in writing. Article 58.  For state  institutions, decisions  adopted  by Committees  shall   be   recommendatory.   When   sending   their recommendations and  proposals to  state institutions, Committees shall inform  the Seimas Board about this and, if necessary - the Government. Upon receipt  of recommendations  and  proposals  of  Seimas Committees, state  institutions, except  courts,  shall  have  to consider them.  The Committees must be informed about the results of such  consideration and  measures which have been taken within 15 days  from the receipt of the proposals or within other period of time established by the Committees. Article 59.  The Committees  shall have the right to control due to their competence how laws of the Republic of Lithuania are observed and  recommendations and proposals of the Committees are taken into consideration. They  shall   also  have   the  right  to  invite  heads  or representatives of  state institutions,  except courts,  to their sittings at  a time  coordinated with  them  and  to  hear  their information. If a  Committee decides  that it  is necessary  to hear  the information of  a Government representative, it shall address the Seimas Speaker  who informs  the Prime Minister about it. In this event, a  Government representative  shall have to participate in the Committee sitting. The Committees  shall have the right due to their competence to demand  and obtain from state institutions, except courts, and officers documents,  conclusions in  writing, as  well as reports and other necessary material. Article 60. The Committee shall make reports during sittings of the  Seimas on  issues which  it prepared or was the principal Committee  while  examining  them  and  shall  make  supplemental reports on  issues which  were  referred  to  the  Committee  for examination. For  this purpose, the Committee shall appoint, from among  their   members,  speakers   or  supplementary   speakers. Committee members  shall participate  in discussions on all other issues according to general procedure. Concerning issues  which were  jointly prepared and examined by several  committees, committees  may either make joint reports and  supplementary   reports  or  may  present  observations  and proposals separately. Article  61.   For   the   preparation   of   issues   under consideration  committees   may,   from   their   members,   form preparatory working  groups. Included in these working groups may be other  Seimas members,  representatives of  state institutions and public  organizations, experts and scholars, upon the consent thereof. Funds  for  the  activities  of  such  groups  shall  be allotted  from   an  approved  estimate  of  expenditure  of  the                                          18 committee. If funds are not sufficient, the committee shall apply to the Seimas Board. The Committees  shall have  the right  to  propose  to  make contracts with  employees who assist in Committee activities, but not exceeding the estimate of expenditure allotted to them. Chapter 11. Trends of Activities of the Seimas Committees Article 62.  The trends  of activities  of the  Committee on Agriculture shall be: 1) to prepare draft laws and other legal acts regulating the activities of  the agricultural  and food industry and to present findings on  drafts referred  to the committee for preliminary or additional consideration; 2)  to  prepare  and  consider  proposals  relative  to  the formation of the agrarian policy, the determination of the trends of agricultural science and training, and the drawing up of legal acts necessary for that purpose; 3) to discuss and present findings relative to the drafts of laws and  programmes presented  by the  Government,  as  well  as chapters of  the State draft budget pertaining to the agriculture and food  industry, their  material- technical  supply,  and  the development of social basis in the countryside; 4) to carry out the examination of draft laws regu …