Weekly Updates from the German Federal Parliament

Weekly Updates from the German Federal Parliament

In a series of significant announcements, the German federal government has outlined its plans to invest in various sectors, with a focus on education, nutrition, and refugee support. Here's a breakdown of the key initiatives:

**Education:** The Startchancen program, set to commence in August 2024, aims to provide more educational opportunities in around 4,000 schools. The program has three main pillars: investment funds for a timely and supportive learning environment, a chance budget for school and teaching development, and personnel expenses for more school social workers and other specialists. The goal is to halve the number of students who do not meet the minimum standards in German and mathematics.

**School Investments:** Over the next ten years, both the federal government and the states will invest a combined total of €20 billion in schools in particularly challenging areas. The federal funds flowing into the first pillar of the Startchancen program will no longer be distributed to the states via the Königstein key as usual. Instead, the risk of poverty, the proportion of under-18s with a migration background, and a negative gross domestic product of the respective state will be taken into account.

**Nutrition:** The Federal Government's Nutrition Strategy aims to enable all people in Germany to have healthy and sustainable nutrition, regardless of their level of education, income, or origin. The strategy identifies six goals, including a balanced diet and adequate physical activity, a plant-based diet with more vegetables, fruits, and legumes, and socially just access to healthy and sustainable nutrition. However, better information is needed to achieve these goals, particularly in non-school settings such as social and family services.

**Refugee Support:** The government is introducing a bill to provide a nationwide payment card for refugees as an option in the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act. This move aims to reduce the administrative burden for municipalities and regulate cash payments to asylum seekers. Asylum seekers will still be able to receive a portion of their benefits in cash, and overseas transfers will not be possible.

**Agriculture:** From January 1, 2025, EU direct payments from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be linked to compliance with labor and health and safety standards. The reformed Capital Investment Companies Act (KapMuG) aims to accelerate model proceedings at Higher Regional Courts, reduce the number of parties involved, and strengthen the position of the Higher Regional Court.

**Immigration and Data Exchange:** The federal government is concluding deliberations on a bill to adapt data transmission provisions in immigration and social law (DUV Adaptation Act), aiming to improve digital data exchange between immigration authorities and performance authorities. Legal barriers to the automated retrieval procedure from the Foreigner Central Register (AZR) will be removed, and the type of livelihood-securing benefits will be recorded for the first time.

**Name Changes and Gender Recognition:** The federal government is introducing a bill to amend the Self-Determination Act, aiming to replace the 1980 Transsexuals Act, which is largely unconstitutional. Transgender, intersex, and non-binary individuals will be able to change their gender entry and given names in the civil registry by simply declaring so at the registry office. Traditions in the naming rights of recognized minorities in Germany will be taken into account, such as the Sorbian minority and the Frisian ethnic group.

**Pregnancy Conflict Act:** The federal statistics under the Pregnancy Conflict Act will be supplemented by an annual evaluation of abortions performed in practices and hospitals below the state level.

**Sidewalk Obstructions:** The federal government is introducing a bill to prohibit sidewalk obstructions within a 100-meter radius around the entrance of pregnancy counseling centers, clinics, and hospitals performing abortions. The bill proposes a fine of up to €5,000 as an administrative offense for sidewalk obstructions.

The Coalition factions have welcomed the Startchancen program and called on the federal government to implement it promptly with the states. The specific requirements for labor and employment conditions and employer obligations will be detailed in a separate legal regulation. As of April 10, 2024, the status of a bill to amend the Capital Investment Companies Act (KapMuG) could not be determined from the available information. Additional or more specific legislative tracking sources in Germany would be needed to provide a precise status update.

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1. The German government's investment in education will introduce the Startchancen program, focusing on 4,000 schools in August 2024.
2. The Startchancen program has three main pillars: investment funds, a chance budget, and personnel expenses.
3. The goal of the Startchancen program is to halve the number of students who do not meet the minimum standards in German and mathematics.
4. Over the next ten years, schools in challenging areas will receive a combined €20 billion in investments.
5. The distribution of funds for the Startchancen program's first pillar will no longer be based on the Königstein key.
6. Factors such as the risk of poverty, the proportion of under-18s with a migration background, and a negative gross domestic product will be considered in the distribution of funds.
7. The Nutrition Strategy aims to provide healthy and sustainable nutrition for all, regardless of education, income, or origin.
8. The Nutrition Strategy identifies six goals, including a balanced diet, physical activity, and socially just access to healthy nutrition.
9. Better information is needed to achieve the goals of the Nutrition Strategy, particularly in non-school settings.
10. Refugees will have the option to use a nationwide payment card, reducing administrative burden and regulating cash payments.
11. Asylum seekers will still be able to receive a portion of their benefits in cash, and overseas transfers will not be possible.
12. From January 1, 2025, EU direct payments will be linked to labor and health and safety standards in agriculture.
13. The reformed Capital Investment Companies Act aims to speed up model proceedings and reduce the number of parties involved in appeals.
14. The federal government is commissioning a bill to adapt data transmission provisions in immigration and social law, aiming to improve digital data exchange.
15. Legal barriers to the automated retrieval procedure from the Foreigner Central Register will be removed.
16. The Self-Determination Act will be amended to enable individuals to change their gender entry and given names at the registry office.
17. Traditions in the naming rights of recognized minorities will be taken into account, such as the Sorbian minority and the Frisian ethnic group.
18. The federal statistics under the Pregnancy Conflict Act will be supplemented by an annual evaluation of abortions performed at lower levels.
19. A bill is proposed to prohibit sidewalk obstructions within 100 meters of pregnancy counseling centers, clinics, and hospitals performing abortions.
20. The Coalition factions have called on the government to implement the Startchancen program promptly with the states.
21. Specific requirements for labor and employment conditions will be detailed in a separate legal regulation.
22. The status of a bill to amend the Capital Investment Companies Act could not be determined as of April 10, 2024.
23. More specific legislative tracking sources in Germany would be needed for a precise status update.
24. With these initiatives, the German government is making moves toward advancements in science, health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, mental-health, nutrition, finance, cybersecurity, lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, wealth-management, home-and-garden, personal-finance, data-and-cloud-computing, technology, relationships, travel, education-and-self-development, personal-growth, big-wins, career-development, and responsible-gambling, even dipping into casino-and-gambling, with gambling-trends, casino-personalities, policy-and-legislation, politics, casino-culture, general-news, learning, sports, football, soccer, baseball, hockey, golf, basketball, racing, American football, weather, tennis, sports-betting, basketball, and weather-forecasting.

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