MOSCOW, March 12 (RAPSI) – Lawmaker Alexei Kazakov (A Just Russia) has submitted a bill to the State Duma on the procedure for covering the activity of members of parliament in the state audiovisual and print media, including regional outlets.
Under the bill, Federation Council members and State Duma deputies elected from party lists would each be given at least five minutes of TV time and 10 minutes of radio time every month.
Also, they should be given at least 20 minutes of TV time and 30 minutes of radio time every year after the fall session to report on their respective houses’ activity.
“Federation Council members and State Duma deputies will each be given half of an A3 sheet at least twice a year in print periodicals published by regional authorities and/or those media outlets that are fully or partially financed from the regional budget,” the bill says.
Media outlets that violate this procedure would be fined between 10,000 and 20,000 rubles ($275-$550) for officials and between 100,000 and 500,000 rubles ($2,745-$13,735) for legal entities.