A session of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held under the chairmanship of Maulen Ashimbayev, Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Deputies reviewed a number of laws and voiced their parliamentary inquiries.
During the meeting, the deputies reviewed and approved the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Amendments and Supplements to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the Issues of Bringing Them into Line with the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Improving the Legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Elections, the Prosecutor's Office, and Social Security" and the corresponding Law "On Amendments and Supplements to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, the Criminal Executive Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the Issues of Bringing Them into Line with the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Improving the Legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Elections and the Prosecutor's Office."
"The approved laws include a package of amendments aimed at implementing the new Constitution. Specifically, the changes to current legislation are related to the formation of new institutions of state power and clarification of electoral procedures. Furthermore, the Prosecutor's Office's activities in protecting investors' rights have been regulated: the Prosecutor General will be vested with the powers of an Investment Ombudsman. Related amendments also update criminal and administrative law. This set of measures is expected to ensure the effective and high-quality implementation of constitutional norms,"noted Maulen Ashimbayev.
The law introduces amendments aimed at bringing legislative acts into line with the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, related to the transition to a unicameral system of the highest representative body. The law also clarifies the competence of maslikhats (district, regional, and precinct electoral commissions) to elect members by secret or open ballot. Amendments are also provided for regulating the early termination of a maslikhat deputy's term in office in cases of recall of a deputy elected in a single-mandate territorial electoral district.
Amendments are also being made to a number of legislative acts, according to which, at the regional level, the investment ombudsman will be represented by investment prosecutors – regional prosecutors, prosecutors of the capital, and prosecutors of cities of national significance. The Prosecutor General's Office will be designated as the authorized body for asset recovery. In order to implement the provisions of the new Constitution adopted at the national referendum on March 15, 2026, senators also reviewed and approved the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Amendments to the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan" in two readings. Specifically, the Law provides for changes related to the creation of the Kurultai, the Kazakh National Assembly, and eliminates the state fee for citizen appeals to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Also on the agenda were the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan Concerning the Activities of Special State Bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan" and the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Amendments and Additions to the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offenses."
"These laws were developed to further improve legislation regarding service in specialized government agencies. The changes affect the rules for entering, completing, and terminating service. A key component of these changes is measures to strengthen social protection and improve working conditions for employees, which should ultimately improve the overall efficiency of the agencies,"the Senate Speaker noted.
The main objectives of the Laws are to further ensure preparedness and improve the responsiveness of law enforcement agencies to various crises and emergencies, prohibit the transportation and storage of terrorist and extremist materials, clarify the basis for awarding pensions for length of service to military personnel and law enforcement officers, specify information classified as state secrets, and strengthen penalties for repeated violations of state secrets protection requirements. Furthermore, the Chamber also approved the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Science, Science-Intensive Territories, Social Security, Education, Healthcare, and Military Service."
"The law under consideration is aimed at providing comprehensive support for the scientific and technological sector and strengthening social guarantees for researchers. The document enshrines the legal status of science-intensive territories, technology parks, and science cities. Furthermore, the law modernizes the work of the National Academy of Sciences and introduces measures to improve the availability of medicines. We hope that the new regulations will create an effective legal framework for the implementation of state scientific and technological policy," said the Speaker of the House of Parliament.
Thus, the Law establishes a provision under which a publisher, at its own expense, will replace copies of publications purchased by local executive bodies under a public procurement contract if printing defects or errors are discovered as a result of the publisher's deviation from the previously approved version. Definitions are provided for foresight studies on the development of science and technology, young scientists, and shared-use scientific laboratories. The authority of the authorized body for developing and approving regulations for the acquisition by research institutes and higher or postgraduate education institutions of goods, works, and services necessary for the performance of scientific research and scientific work financed by budgetary funds is expanded. The Law also provides for the possibility of developing and approving regulations for the use of scientific equipment acquired under government procurement, and for providing access to shared-use scientific laboratories and centers of academic excellence, as well as for the adoption of rules for venture financing in the field of science and scientific and technical activities.
The legislation is being supplemented with new articles regulating the rights and responsibilities of scientists and research workers, the fundamental provisions of science-intensive territories and measures to stimulate their development, and the science city, its main objectives, the procedure for assigning status, participants, governing bodies, and social security for research workers participating in the science city.
Furthermore, during the meeting, Senator Bibigul Zheksenbay voiced a parliamentary inquiry outlining the risks faced by people who build markets, warehouses, and parking lots along high-voltage power lines in violation of safety regulations.
(Press Office of the Senate, 74-72-27. Photo by: A. Baizhumanov)
