The Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress
(NPC) deliberated 24 draft laws and law-related
resolutions and adopted 15 since its last meeting in March
2006.
On August 27, 2006, the NPC Standing Committee passed the
country's Supervision Law to help lawmakers keep government
officials in check.
Under the Supervision Law, the standing committees of people's
congresses at and above the county level are authorized to repeal
any inappropriate decisions or orders issued by governments at the
same level. The law also allows standing committees to summon
government officials and request explanations of their practices
and policies.
The NPC Standing Committee also passed the Corporate Bankruptcy
Law last August, which provides protection to both creditors and
workers of insolvent companies.
On October 31, 2006, the NPC Standing Committee adopted an
amendment to the Organic Law of the People's Courts to implement
strict controls in the use of the death penalty. The amendment
states that, beginning January 1 of this year, all death penalty
sentences issued by provincial courts require approval from the
Supreme People's Court before they can be carried out.
The Supreme People's Court will review the evidence, laws and
regulations application, measurement of penalty, and the litigation
process in the previous trial and will hear testimony from the
defendant either in person or by letters, before reaching the final
decision.
In addition, the NPC standing Committee deliberated other law
drafts including the draft of the Labor Contract Law, and passed
amendments to the law on compulsory education, the banking
supervision law, and the law on the protection of minors.
A series of new laws and regulations including the Law on
Specialized Peasants Cooperatives, the Passport Law, a law on farm
produce quality safety, and an anti-money laundering law, were also
passed by the NPC Standing Committee.
The NPC Standing Committee members have also submitted the
drafts of a new property law and corporate tax law to be
deliberated on by the fifth full session of the national
legislature when it meets this weekend.
(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2007)