Government bill · 23rd Knesset · published as law 24 December 2020
חוק הרשות למאבק באלימות, בסמים ובאלכוהול (תיקון), התשפ"א-2020Law on the Authority for Combating Violence, Drugs and Alcohol (Amendment), 2020 · automatic translation · suggest a correction
Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית
Official summary of the law (Knesset)
The Authority for the Fight Against Violence, Drugs and Alcohol Law (Amendment), 2020, was passed in second and third reading on 21 December 2020. The Law regulates the transfer of powers concerning the Authority for the Fight Against Violence, Drugs and Alcohol from the Ministry of Public Security to the Ministry for Community Strengthening and Advancement, and changes the Authority's name to the National Authority for Community Security. In addition, the Law abolishes the area of crime prevention from the Authority's responsibilities, establishes that the advisory committee appointed under the Law will advise the Minister rather than the Authority, and establishes that the local directors for the fight against violence, drugs and alcohol will be members of the municipal committees for combating the drug scourge and eliminating violence.
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Hebrew original
חוק הרשות למאבק באלימות, בסמים ובאלכוהול (תיקון), התשפ"א–2020, התקבל בקריאה השנייה והשלישית בתאריך ו' בטבת התשפ"א (21 בדצמבר 2020). החוק מסדיר את העברת הסמכויות בנוגע לרשות למאבק באלימות, סמים ואלכוהול מהמשרד לביטחון הפנים למשרד לחיזוק וקידום קהילתי ומשנה את שמה של הרשות לרשות הלאומית לביטחון קהילתי. בנוסף, החוק מבטל את תחום מניעת העבריינות מתפקידי הרשות, קובע כי הוועדה המייעצת שמונתה לפי החוק תייעץ לשר ולא לרשות, וכן קובע כי המנהלים היישוביים למאבק באלימות, בסמים ובאלכוהול יהיו חברים בוועדות העירוניות למאבק בנגע הסמים ולמיגור האלימות.
Readings
- 7 December 2020 · First reading · להעביר את הצעת החוק לוועדה שתקבע ועדת הכנסתהצעת חוק הרשות למאבק באלימות, בסמים ובאלכוהול (תיקון), התשפ"א-2020Bill for the Authority for Combating Violence, Drugs and Alcohol (Amendment), 2020autoBill passed first reading20 for · 9 against
- 21 December 2020 · Third reading · אישור החוקחוק הרשות למאבק באלימות, בסמים ובאלכוהול (תיקון), התשפ"א-2020Law on the Authority for Combating Violence, Drugs and Alcohol (Amendment), 2020autoLaw passed36 for · 21 against
What was said in the plenum
The bill completes the transfer of the Authority for the Fight against Violence, Drugs and Alcohol from the Ministry of Public Security to the Ministry for Community Strengthening and Advancement, changes its name to the 'National Authority for Community Security,' and regulates the status of community managers on municipal committees. The discussion focused less on the professional content of the law and more on political debate over the establishment of the ministry itself, the circumstances of Minister Orly Levy Abekasis's joining the government, and the government's stability in general.
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Hebrew original
הצעת החוק משלימה את העברת הרשות למאבק באלימות, בסמים ובאלכוהול מהמשרד לביטחון הפנים אל המשרד לחיזוק וקידום קהילתי, משנה את שמה ל״רשות הלאומית לביטחון קהילתי״ ומסדירה את מעמד המנהלים היישוביים בוועדות עירוניות. הדיון התמקד פחות בתוכן המקצועי של החוק ויותר בוויכוח פוליטי על הקמת המשרד עצמו, על נסיבות הצטרפות השרה אורלי לוי אבקסיס לממשלה ועל יציבות הממשלה בכלל.
Arguments for
- The law is required in order to protect the rights and jobs of Authority employees who moved to the new ministry, and to prevent their dismissal following cuts and underfunding that threatened their activity.Orly Levi-Abekasis (Gesher)
- Turning the handling of this area into a community-therapeutic rather than a police-enforcement matter, under a ministry whose purpose is to strengthen social capital, will help prevent violence, drugs and alcohol abuse and empower weakened communities and groups.Orly Levi-Abekasis (Gesher), Yitzhak Ze'ev Pindrus (United Torah Judaism)
- This move is the final step in the formal completion of the transfer of the Authority, which was already approved and actually implemented under a previous government decision, and is accompanied by additional plans and achievements such as a national monitoring center for addictions and additional budgets and projects.Orly Levi-Abekasis (Gesher)
Arguments against
- The transfer of authorities between ministries is being made for narrow, personal political motives, mainly in order to give Minister Orly Levy Abekasis a ministry and a position in exchange for her joining the government, rather than out of substantive consideration for the public good.Merav Michaeli (Labor), Yorai Lahav Hertzanu (Yesh Atid – Telem)
- There is a serious flaw in frequently transferring the authority dealing with addiction treatment between ministries (previously from the Ministry of Welfare, now to a new ministry), which harms the continuity of care for the most vulnerable populations dependent on the service.Merav Michaeli (Labor)
- This involves a waste of public resources at a time of economic crisis and hardship for companies, as the new ministry entails additional costs (travel budgets, a director-general, uniforms) while a million citizens are unemployed and other urgent needs go unaddressed.Yorai Lahav Hertzanu (Yesh Atid – Telem)
- The timing is problematic, since the transfer of authorities and the decision to formally establish the ministry are taking place close to the passage of the law to dissolve the Knesset, meaning the ministry to which the authorities are being transferred may not continue to exist at all.Merav Michaeli (Labor), Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu)
- The discussion on transferring powers between ministries is disconnected from urgent and real problems on the ground, such as business distress, unemployment, enforcement gaps, and treatment of Arab society and the periphery, for which the government has no real response.
Who spoke (13)
| Member | Faction | Readings | Speeches | In the final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orly Levi-Abekasis | Gesher coalition | First reading, Third reading | 3 | for |
| Merav Michaeli | Labor coalition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Uriel Busso | Shas coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Ariel Kallner | Likud coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Yulia Malinovsky | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Sondos Saleh | Joint List opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Yitzhak Ze'ev Pindrus | United Torah Judaism coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Michael Malkieli | Shas coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Yorai Lahav Hertzanu | Yesh Atid – Telem opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Saeed Alkharumi | Joint List opposition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Miki Haimovich | Blue and White coalition | Third reading | 1 | no record |
| Oded Forer | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | Third reading | 1 | against |
| Alex Kushnir | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | Third reading | 1 | against |
An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2
Reservations to the second reading
No reservations were filed to this bill.
Asked to speak: Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu), Evgeny Sova (Yisrael Beytenu), Eli Avidar (Yisrael Beytenu), Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu), Hamad Amar (Yisrael Beytenu), Alex Kushnir (Yisrael Beytenu), Merav Michaeli (Labor)
Reservations, sections and other votes (1)
In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.
- 21 December 2020 · Second reading · קריאה שנייהחוק הרשות למאבק באלימות, בסמים ובאלכוהול (תיקון), התשפ"א-2020Law on the Authority for Combating Violence, Drugs and Alcohol (Amendment), 2020auto36 for · 0 againstVote on sections of the bill