The committee recommended transferring all building authorities under the state

Prague – All building authorities, along with their employees, should fall under a unified state building administration. This was recommended by the parliamentary economic committee to amend the proposed building law. Martin Kolovratník (ANO), the reporter for the proposal, stated this to ČTK. In contrast, the government, in the materials presented to the deputies, proposed a so-called hybrid model. In this model, building authorities of municipalities would continue to decide on typical civic amenities, such as family houses or garages.

The economic committee adopted a comprehensive amendment to the building law, which should thus become the basis for further discussion. Like the government proposal, it contains over 330 paragraphs. The proposed organizational structure is intended to be based on regional building authorities organized similarly to, for example, the cadastral offices, which will have their territorial offices in municipalities. Building authorities would not disappear from municipalities, and people need not fear that they would have to travel to regional cities due to building matters, Kolovratník noted. The proposal also includes the establishment of the Supreme Building Authority, which would be based in Ostrava. "We want this change to improve the lives of citizens," the deputy said.

Like the government proposal, the economic committee's proposal also anticipates the new law's effectiveness from July 1, 2023. However, it provides for the regional building authorities to be established as early as January 1, and the government will start selecting their directors, who will have about a year and a half to prepare everything for functioning according to the new law.

The second reading of the building law proposal is expected to take place at the beginning of the March session of the Chamber. Kolovratník told ČTK that if the Chamber accepts the comprehensive amendment of the economic committee as the basis, he will propose to suspend the debate for two weeks so that the deputies can prepare their amendments and direct them to the proposal of the economic committee.

However, some opposition parties are advocating their own comprehensive amendment to the building law. Their proposal would maintain the operation of officials under municipal and city offices. They would not need to be transferred under the state. Building authorities in delegated powers would remain in municipalities with extended powers and in some other smaller municipalities. Their retention would be possible according to established criteria. Opposition deputies from the ranks of Pirates, ODS, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09, and STAN also argue that their proposal is cheaper than the one from the economic committee.

Although the parliamentary committee for public administration recommended approving the bill, a group of opposition deputies from the mentioned five parties submitted what is known as a dissenting report. Among other things, it states that the government's bill inappropriately interferes with the powers of regions, cities, and municipalities and fundamentally disrupts the current mixed model of public administration. In their proposal, these deputies want to preserve building authorities even in municipalities.