How NPC (National People’s Congress) delegates pass laws in China
China’s annual political season is underway. The country’s legislative process is different from western countries. Here is an explanation of how laws are passed during the National People’s Congress.
1. Delegates introduce a bill to the NPC: A delegation, or group of no less than 30 deputies in the NPC, introduces a bill.
2. The presidium decides if the bill moves forward: The Presidium is a committee of about 170 senior NPC members. It is this group’s responsibility to decide if a bill will be put on the agenda or referred to a special committee for further consideration.
3. A sponsor explains the bill: The bill’s sponsor briefs lawmakers during a plenary meeting. Representatives are available to answer questions.
4. The bill gets three readings: During the first reading, the sponsor gives an introduction to the bill. The Standing Committee then discusses it in groups.
At the second reading, the Legislative Work Committee gives a report on any amendments to the draft, and any outstanding issues are brought to a full session of the Standing Committee. Further discussions are held in groups.
At the third reading, the Legislative Work Committee reports on the results of the second round deliberations to the full Standing Committee.
5. Review of the draft: A bill submitted by the Standing Committee to a forthcoming session of the NPC must be distributed to all deputies in draft form one month before the session begins.
6. Bills are voted on: Any bill that receives two-thirds of the votes from NPC deputies (currently there are 2,943) at the NPC/CPPCC session are adopted. The results are announced immediately.
7. Presidential enactment: The bill formally becomes law when signed by China’s president.
By: Xiaolu Sun
In: cctv