NPC session sees more motions, higher quality

Staff members in the secretarial department of the National People's Congress collect motions from deputies. As of noon on Tuesday, 54 more motions had been submitted than during last year's session. (Photo: China Daily/Wang Jing)

The number of motions introduced by deputies to China's top legislature has risen this year, and they've focused heavily on economics and the environment, the secretarial department of the National People's Congress said. [Special coverage]

By noon on Tuesday, the deadline for motions, the department had received 522 motions, 54 more than last year, said Guo Zhenhua, deputy head of the department's proposal group.

Of those, more than 90 percent had to do with the country's major legislative initiatives, including economic and judicial reform, Guo said.

Moreover, the secretarial department said, the quality of motions this year is higher than in the past. It found that 391 motions were raised after deputies conducted research or made visits to problematic regions.

"We're glad to see law drafts attached to 210 motions. This is part of a deputy's duty and right," he said.

Since Tuesday, the 522 motions have been collected and will be sent to special committees of the NPC's Standing Committee for review.

"We'll give feedback about the motions to deputies in a timely manner, and invite some of them to Beijing to take part in discussions when the Standing Committee reviews their motions," Guo said.

The increase in the number of motions is attributable to an increase in the public's legal awareness after the Fourth Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee in October, at which the top leadership made the rule of law a priority, he said.

For example, deputies have paid close attention to the government's role in the market, proposing revisions to the law governing companies and suggesting the creation of an e-commerce law, Guo said.

Meanwhile, judicial reforms have also been a hot topic among the deputies, and they proposed amending the law governing judges and prosecutors this year, he said.

As the country has highlighted the environmental and ecological protection over the past few years, revisions in areas related to air and water pollution have been mentioned frequently in deputies' motions this year, he said.

"After all, these industries are closely related to the public's life and interests," Guo said.