Soliciting public opinion

On July 10, 2005, the full text of the Real Right Law draft, which was adopted on March 16, 2007, and took effect on October 1, 2007, was publicized to solicit suggestions. By August 20, 2005, a total of 11,543 suggestions had been collected.

On March 20, 2006, the NPC Standing Committee publicized the Labor Contract Law to solicit public opinion. In only one month, a total of nearly 200,000 suggestions were collected through various channels, setting a new record. Of all these suggestions, about 65 percent came from grassroots laborers.

According to Guo Jun, a senior official of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, who took part in the drafting of the Labor Contract Law, said debate had accompanied the whole legislation process including investigation, drafting and deliberation. Different opinions had come from both labor and management and representatives of different interests groups.

On March 25, 2007, the Employment Promotion Law draft was publicized, becoming the third law to have a draft version released for suggestions in the five-year term of the 10th NPC Standing Committee.

The participation of the general public in creating laws is gradually moving on from raising suggestions to deciding what kinds of laws and regulations need to be made.

In 2005, the government of the central province of Anhui announced that citizens could raise suggestions on Anhui's legislative plans for 2006 by sending letters, emails, faxes or paying visits to government offices over the period of one month.

Yan Taifang, a 70-year-old retired civil servant, was the first to put forward her suggestions by visiting the provincial government. After her son passed away, Yan was not allowed to visit her grandson by her daughter-in-law. When Yan went to her local court to seek legal support, she found there was no law protecting her right to visit her grandson. So Yan suggested the formulation of a new law protecting the rights of grandparents to visit their grandchildren.