The Internal Structure of the Council of the Federation and its Constitutional and Legal Regulation

Abstract

The article analyses, including through stenographic documents, the discussion process and the adoption of the rules of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. After changing the order of formation of the Federation Council, the adoption of new Rules was inevitable and objective consequence. The author examines the principles, which are the basis for working out a new project, different points of view of scientists, experts, members of the Federation Council on institutional functioning of the house. The article discusses the feasibility of including permanent commissions to the house, allocates the functions of the Chairman of the Federation Council, focuses on changes in the regulations in connection with the position of the first Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council. The author also analyses the legal regulation, whereby the house of parliament prohibits the establishment of formalized fractions and parliamentary associations, i.e. legalization of political associations is not allowed. The thesis that this approach meets the objective functioning of authority, representing the federated entities is justified. The article further discusses the composition, powers and procedure of meetings of the Council of the house. The article deals with the competences of the committees of the houses of the Federal Assembly, and notes that their powers have grown over time, and is consistent with the expansion of State structures and institutions of civil society. The author makes a proposal to establish the composition of the upper house of the Federal Assembly of the RF Federation Council Committee on ethics as the body interacting with the media. The subject of reference of this Committee should include the elaboration of proposals for legislative control of policy in the field of parliamentary ethics and ethics of the media; resolution of disputes arising during coverage of the work of the Council of the Federation in the media, etc. This specifies the inadmissibility of censorship by the upper house of the Parliament in relation to the media.