Duma official comments on State Duma's fall session

Every fifth bill that will be considered in the fall session of the RussianState Duma, will be attached top priority, Senior Deputy Speaker of thelower chamber of the Russian parliament Lyubov Sliska said. She was quotedas saying that during the fall session the deputies are planning toconsider 535 bills. According to the Senior Deputy Speaker of the StateDuma, only 200 bills will really be considered. Among the top-prioritybills are the 2003 federal budget draft, energy sector bills and the billsrelated to Russia's ascension to the World Trade Organization. Additionally, the Sate Duma deputies will consider amendments to the Taxand Criminal Codes. The Yedinstvo faction members' opinions regarding theperspectives of the approval of the bill on the federal budget for 2003were divided. Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Budget Committee VladislavReznik believes that the 2003 federal budget will not give rise to seriousdebate. According to Sliska, the deputies will not be able to "adopt thebudget in an easy way this year". .