Laws Signed by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday

July 22, 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for a meeting of the Security Council in Moscow's Kremlin, July 22.

President Vladimir Putin signed a flurry of new legislation on Tuesday, including:

Permanent winter: Putin signed a law reintroducing permanent winter time. Clocks in Russia will turn back one hour on Oct. 26 and will stay there permanently.

Crimea: A series of laws were signed on the integration of Crimea and Sevastopol into Russia's legal system, with particular focuses on intellectual property, sports, pensions and the financial system.

Senators: Putin signed amendments to the Constitution, vesting the president with power to directly appoint senators to the Federation Council.

Television advertisements: Putin signed a law banning advertisements on paid-access television channels, a move that caused an uproar in the industry.

Personal data: All Russians' personal data will now be stored on Russian territory. Analysts say the new law will isolate Russians as foreign websites — including hotel and airline booking sites — will be required either to store users' data in Russia, or cease operations in the country.

SMS spam: Putin signed a law regulating the mass distribution of short messages among mobile phone users. The law's aim is to fight spam messages.

Olympics: Putin signed a law liquidating Olimpstroi, a state enterprise that orchestrated the construction of Olympic infrastructure projects for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Abortions: Administering illegal abortions is now subject to administrative fines.

Speedy justice: The president signed a law introducing compensation in instances where justice in Russia's court system drags on too long.

Transparency: Fresh legislation requires governmental agencies to release information about their activities to civil society organizations.

Etc.: Putin signed a series of other laws, amending legislation in the financial, social, urban planning, transportation and other sectors.

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