BILL ON HINA FORWARDED INTO PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE ( Editorial: --> 9087 )

( Editorial: --> 9087 ) ZAGREB, Nov 7 (Hina) - The committee for appointments and administration of the Croatian parliament's Lower House on Friday forwarded a new bill on Croatian news agency Hina into parliamentary procedure. According to the bill, Hina should become a public institution owned by the Republic of Croatia. The bill says Hina deals with gathering, editing and issuing information on political, economic, cultural, sports and other events in Croatia and abroad, with special stress on news about the work of the government and Croatian institutions. The new bill envisages that Hina gathers, edits and issues information on the life of Croatian emigrants and events in Croatia for the requirements of the emigrants' media. The bill also says that Hina gathers, edits and issues information on reports from international media, and carries out other news agency tasks for the necessities of state bodies. According to the new bill, a Hina Council should be established, to consist of six parliament-appointed and five government-appointed members, while Hina's director, his deputy and the editor in chief would be members of the Council in line with their function, but without the right to decide. The Hina Council would be authorized to pass Hina's Statute, determine a work and development programme and assess its realization, decide on the financial plan and the yearly accounting. According to the bill, Hina's director and his deputy would be appointed by the parliament for a five-year mandate, with a possibility of reappointment. The editor in chief would be appointed by the Hina Council, on the director's proposal. (hina) ha jn 071749 MET nov 97