Documents and Laws in Parliament

The amendment clarifies the rules for speaking in debates in the Chamber of Deputies. It explicitly states that a Member, a member of the Government or other persons present may not address specific Members or other persons in the Chamber directly and that all questions must be directed through the Presiding Officer. The aim is to remove interpretive ambiguity, to strengthen order in proceedings and to limit personal exchanges between speakers. At the same time, the following points were renumbered technically.

The amendment introduces the new institution of “urgent business” into the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies, which will allow a Member’s caucus to place on the agenda a quick discussion of a current public issue without the need for a tabled motion. Precise rules are laid down: the request may be made only after the agenda has been approved, the debate may begin no earlier than two hours later and the debate is limited to a maximum of one hour with five-minute speeches. Each club may use this procedure only once every six months and only one such matter may be discussed per sitting day. The aim is to allow a swift parliamentary response to emergencies, but also to prevent abuse for obstruction.

The amendment extends the investment possibilities of occupational pension funds to securities of private equity and venture capital funds and introduces legal definitions of these funds. It also stipulates that these investments may account for a maximum of 10% of the assets of the participating fund. If their share reaches at least 5% of the fund’s assets, the maximum management fee may be increased by 0.2 percentage points. The proposal also allows for limited investments in shares traded on regulated markets even for a mandatory conservative fund.

The amendment reduces the maximum fees of pension companies in supplementary pension savings. The asset management fee limit for participating funds is unified and reduced from the current up to 1% to 0.4% per year and the maximum performance fee is reduced from 15% to 10% of the appreciation. At the same time, the coefficient for calculating the management fee for transformed funds is reduced from 0.8% to 0.4%. The aim is to reduce the costliness of the scheme and increase the net returns for pension scheme members.

The amendment adds a new provision to the Housing Support Act on organisational requirements for housing contact points. Municipalities with extended powers will be obliged to ensure the continuous improvement of the qualifications of officials providing services there. The Ministry of Regional Development will be empowered to establish by decree further qualification requirements, the scope of training, minimum office hours and other organisational and technical conditions. The aim is to unify and improve the quality of housing advice throughout the country.

The amendment modifies the position of municipal districts and urban districts in the provision of housing support. For the purposes of the Act, municipalities or districts that are entrusted with a dwelling will be regarded as the owners of the dwelling. At the same time, they may be directly mandated to provide housing support measures and will be treated in proceedings in a similar way to independent municipalities. The aim is to simplify administration, allow for separate accounting of contributions and avoid problems where mistakes by one borough affect the whole city.

The amendment eases the conditions for entry into the housing support system by increasing the income limit for the approval of the Labour Office from 1.43 times to twice the minimum subsistence level. At the same time, the threshold for eligible housing costs is increased from the 75th to the 85th percentile of rent. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is now to announce the relevant amounts annually and the government’s authority to change these parameters by regulation and related government regulations is removed. The draft also introduces transitional provisions and provides for the main changes to take effect from 1 July 2026.

The amendment fundamentally changes the system of housing support by shifting the main decision-making powers from the contact points to the Labour Office of the Czech Republic, which will now keep records of persons in need of housing and electronic files. It specifies the conditions for inclusion in the register of persons without adequate housing and sets income limits for assessing eligibility. In addition to citizens of the Czech Republic, persons with asylum, subsidiary protection and certain foreigners with long-term residence or the right to equal treatment under EU law may also be eligible for registration. The Act also introduces a vulnerability score, the possibility of increasing support by up to 40%, extends the use of the housing support information system and regulates the control and competences of the Labour Office.

The Petitions Committee recommends that the Chamber of Deputies approve the draft amendment to the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies. At the same time, it proposes amendments that change the designation “petitions committee” to “human rights and petitions committee” in several provisions of the bill. This is a legislative and technical change to the name of the Committee and a related amendment to all references in the Rules of Procedure. The resolution also authorises the rapporteur and the chair of the committee to take further action on the proposal.

The Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies discussed a bill amending the rules of supplementary pension savings and the Income Tax Act. After the debate, it recommended that the Chamber of Deputies approve the proposal. At the same time, it instructed the rapporteur to inform the plenary of this opinion and, in cooperation with the legislative department, to make any necessary legislative and technical adjustments.

The Committee on Public Administration and Regional Development recommends that the Chamber of Deputies approve the amendment to the Housing Support Act with the following amendment. It technically modifies the method of proving the integrity of the applicant for a mandate by changing the statutory reference in Section 110(2). Specifically, the reference to §82(3) (first to third sentences) is replaced by a reference to §79(3). This is a legislative and technical clarification of the rules in the housing support system.

The Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies discussed a government bill amending certain laws in the area of public budgets. After the debate, it recommended that the Chamber of Deputies approve the bill. He also authorised the rapporteur to inform the plenary of this opinion and to make any legislative and technical adjustments. The resolution thus expressed the Committee’s support for the continuation of the legislative process on the proposal.

The Constitutional Law Committee of the Chamber of Deputies discussed a bill to amend the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies. Following the debate and the speeches by the representative of the petitioners and the rapporteur, the Committee recommended that the Chamber of Deputies approve the bill. At the same time, he instructed the Chair of the Committee to submit the resolution to the President of the Chamber and the rapporteur to inform the plenary of the outcome of the debate.

The Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies recommends the approval of the amendment to the Investment Companies and Investment Funds Act with a number of amendments. The amendments refine the rules for the operation of investment funds, for example, removing the condition that a certain legal entity must have its registered office abroad and changing certain requirements for the management and organisation of funds. It also provides that at least two managers must devote full-time equivalent time to the performance of their duties. Other amendments are mainly of a legislative and technical nature and regulate terminology, references between sections and transitional periods for bringing funds into line with the law.

The Government discussed a Senate bill amending the Act on Elections to Municipal Councils (No 491/2001 Coll.). After examining the proposal at its meeting on 30 March 2026, it adopted a favourable opinion on it. In doing so, the Government expresses its support for the proposed amendment to the electoral rules in municipalities, including changes related to by-elections to municipal councils.

The amendment modifies the draft law on supplementary pension savings so as to maintain the penalty-free exit of so-called “locked” participants from the system after the award of an old-age pension. At the same time, it abolishes provisions that were intended to retroactively compensate state contributions to people who have already left the scheme. The aim is to address only the situation of people who are effectively trapped in the scheme, not to compensate retrospectively for earlier individual decisions by participants. At the same time, the related tax exemption for these compensations is abolished, while the penalty-free exit tax regime is maintained.

The Government discussed the draft amendment to the Social Services and Disability Benefits Acts and issued a favourable opinion on it. The proposal amends the rules for the provision of social services and benefits for persons with disabilities and related laws. The opinion confirms the Government’s support for the discussion and adoption of the proposal in the Chamber of Deputies.

The Government discussed a proposal by MP Aleš Juchelka to amend the Act on State Social Support and the related Act on State Social Assistance Benefits. After examining the proposal, it adopted a favourable opinion on the submitted proposal. The document therefore expresses the Government’s official support for this legislative proposal. The opinion itself does not contain further substantive changes, but merely confirms the Government’s agreement with the proposal.

The amendment significantly changes the system for assessing eligibility for housing support measures. It abolishes the compulsory binding opinion of the Labour Office and its regular reassessment of the situation of households and shifts decision-making to housing contact points. The existing assessment mechanism is replaced by a new income ceiling, which is now set at the household’s subsistence level plus 1.5 times the minimum wage, so that working households can also receive support. At the same time, the “housing eligibility” criterion, the counting of savings and related government regulations are abolished, which is intended to simplify administration and widen the range of persons supported.

The amendment amends the Government’s draft Housing Support Bill to explicitly include foreigners with temporary protection or special long-term residence under the 2022 Act, in particular refugees from Ukraine, among those entitled to receive advice from the contact points. Compared to the original wording, which envisaged only citizens of the Czech Republic and selected other persons, the range of beneficiaries of counselling is thus broadened. These people must have resided, resided, worked or studied in the territory for at least 2 years and be without adequate housing or at risk of losing it. The aim is to prevent them from being exploited on the housing market and falling into housing destitution.

The amendment fundamentally changes the system of assessing housing support: it abolishes the obligation to obtain a binding opinion from the Labour Office and transfers decision-making and the collection of supporting documents to housing contact points (municipalities with extended competence). Instead of the existing complex conditions, a new income ceiling is introduced, defined as the sum of the household subsistence minimum and the minimum wage. At the same time, some restrictive conditions (e.g. assessing the ’eligibility of the dwelling’ and counting savings) are removed so that more households in housing need can qualify for support. The proposal also repeals related government regulations and modifies data registration and transitional provisions.

The amendment fundamentally changes the housing support system by abolishing the binding opinion of the Labour Office and transferring the assessment of applications entirely to municipal contact points. Instead of the current complex assessment, a new income ceiling is introduced, defined as the household’s subsistence level plus 1.3 times the minimum wage. The law also abolishes certain mechanisms, such as the calculation of future housing costs, the regular reassessment of the household’s situation and the criterion of “housing eligibility”, which significantly limited the range of eligible persons. The aim is to reduce the administrative burden and to extend the availability of housing support to working households in housing need.

The bill returned by the Senate modifies the law on public holidays and important days. It adds 30 March as Czech Flag Day to the list of significant days, replacing 28 March - the day of the birth of Jan Ámos Komenský. It is neither a public holiday nor a day of rest. The law is to enter into force on the day following its promulgation.

The Senate returns to the Chamber of Deputies the draft amendment to the National Holidays Act with amendments. It proposes to change the designation of 28 September from “Czech Statehood Day” to “Day of Czech Statehood and State Symbols”. It also changes the law’s effective date - instead of the day after its proclamation, it is to take effect only from 1 January 2027. The Senate also instructs its representatives to justify this position in the Chamber.