Legislative process of the NPC Standing Committee(2)

For a bill that has been put on the agenda of a session of the Standing Committee, the Law Committee can conduct uniform deliberations based on opinions from members of the Standing Committee, the relevant special committee and concerned constituents, and thereafter, give a report on the status of amendment or produce a deliberation report and amended draft law. This report or deliberation will contain notes on major issues of opinion and where a major deliberation opinion is not adopted, the Law Committee should report back to the special committee.

In the course of deliberation, the Law Committee may invite members of a relevant special committee to give their comments.

In the course of deliberation, a special committee will convene a plenary session to conduct deliberations and may request the relevant agency to send the person in charge to brief the session.

When, in the course of deliberations, opinion on a major topic varies, this shall be reported to the Meeting of the Chairmen.

For a bill which has been put on the agenda for a session of the Standing Committee, the Law Committee, the relevant special committee and the office of the Standing Committee shall hear the opinions of concerned constituents, by panel discussion, feasibility study meetings and hearings.

Once deliberated, the office of the Standing Committee will distribute the draft law to the relevant agencies, experts and organizations for comment, and will compile the commentary and present to the Law Committee and the relevant special committee as appropriate, and if required, distribute to the current session of the Standing Committee.

In the case of a major bill on the agenda of the Standing committee, the Meeting of the Chairmen may decide to present the draft law to the public for comment. The subsequent commentary, made by agencies, organizations and citizens, will be compiled and presented to the Standing Committee.

In the case of a bill on the agenda of the Standing committee, the office of the Standing Committee will collect and compile commentary from group sessions and concerned constituents. It shall then distribute them to the Law Committee, the relevant special committee, and if necessary, distribute to the Standing Committee current session.

When a sponsor of a bill on the agenda of a session of the Standing Committee makes a request for withdrawal before voting begins, the sponsor shall provide an explanation, and depending on the consent of the Meeting of the Chairmen, and a report received by the Standing Committee, the bill shall be terminated.

If a bill has passed three deliberations by the Standing Committee and still has major issues that need further study, a Meeting of the Chairmen can prepare a motion and upon approval of a joint group session or plenary session, voting may be postponed, there upon the bill shall be submitted to the Law Committee and relevant special committee for further deliberations.

If the deliberation on a bill, that has been put on the agenda of a session of the Standing Committee, is postponed for more than two years, due to major differences between constituents such as those that relate to the necessity or feasibility of enacting the bill, or that the voting being postponed, the bill has not been put back on the agenda of a session of the Standing Committee for two years, the Meeting of the Chairmen shall report to the Standing Committee and deliberations on the bill will cease.

Upon the deliberation of the draft law by the Standing Committee, the Law Committee will make further amendments based on comments made during deliberations by members of the Standing Committee, and will present a final version of the draft law, to be submitted by the Meeting of the Chairmen, to a plenary session of the Standing Committee for voting. The bill shall then be enacted if more than half of the Standing Committee members vote it through.

A national law passed by the NPC standing committee will be promulgated by a signed presidential order from the President of the state.