Highlights of NPC Standing Committee work report

China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang is delivering a report on the work of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) to the annual parliamentary session Sunday.[Special coverage]

Following are the highlights of Zhang's report distributed to the media before the opening of the meeting:

PROGRESS IN 2013

-- The NPC Standing Committee drew up a five-year legislative plan and held a meeting to determine the targets, tasks and requirements of the legislative work.

-- Over the past year, the Standing Committee deliberated 15 bills and draft decisions on legal issues, of which 10 of them were passed; and revised 21 laws and enacted two.

-- Over the past year, the Standing Committee listened to and deliberated 15 work reports of the State Council, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, inspected the implementation of four laws, conducted three special inquiries and carried out five special investigations and studies.

-- The Standing Committee divided NPC deputies into 260 groups and supported them to solicit people's opinions and requests through a variety of ways.

-- A total of 1,740 deputies took part in investigations and studies on special topics and 1,700 deputies in inspection tours.

-- Each member of the Chairperson's Council was asked to keep direct contact with at least five NPC deputies.

-- The number of deputies sitting on the meeting of the Standing Committee was raised to 66.

-- A total of 51 entries in 169 motions put forward by NPC deputies were incorporated in legislative programs and plans.

LEGISLATION IN 2013

-- The top legislature enacted the Tourism Law and the Special Equipment Safety Law, as well as amended the Law on the Protection of Consumers' Rights and Interests.

-- It revised 19 laws to facilitate the institutional reform of the State Council, which was adopted at the first annual session of the NPC in March, 2013.

-- It adopted resolutions to abolish the system of reeducation through labor and allow couples to have second child if either of them is single child.

-- It ratified two new national days, one to mark victory in the anti-Japanese war and the other to commemorate Nanjing Massacre victims and all those killed during Japanese aggression against China.

-- NPC deputies, experts, industry insiders and ordinary citizens were invited to assess the feasibility and social effects of a motion before it was put for a vote.

-- The top legislature added one round of opinion soliciting after the second reading of a motion. The public used to be asked for opinion about a motion after its first reading.

OVERSIGHT WORK IN 2013

-- The top legislature strengthened the supervision on budget and final account of the central government. It examined the reports on the central government's final accounts and auditing work in 2012 as well as the implementation of the budget for the first seven months of fiscal year 2013.

-- The top legislature examined a report on the government spending on science and technologies, which was the first time it oversaw the government spending for a specific purpose.

-- It examined 19 new regulations of the State Council and 32 legal interpretations of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate in the past year, to determine if they were in line with the Constitution and laws.

-- It reviewed all existing judicial interpretations and other documents with similar effect. This is the first such review since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

WHAT TO DO IN 2014

-- The top legislature will revise the Budget Law to improve the budget management system.

-- It will amend the Administrative Procedures Law and the Law on Administrative Review to facilitate cases of administrative litigation and reconsideration and correct illegal or improper administrative actions.

-- It will revise the Environmental Protection Law and the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law to improve environmental protection and curb pollution.

-- Lawmakers will inspect the implementation of the Tourism Law and the Patent Law.

-- They will review the country's economic and social development plan, the central and local government budgets as well as the final accounts and auditing work of the central government.

-- They will hear and approve the central government's final accounts for 2013.

-- The State Council will submit a report on conserving energy and reducing emissions for review.

-- The top legislature will inspect the implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law and carry out special investigations on soil pollution control.

-- It will carry out special investigations on economic and social development in the areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.