NPC to make all draft laws public
By Zhu Zhe
Updated: 2008-04-21 07:20
The country's top legislature yesterday promised to make all draft laws public to give people more say in formulating legislation.
"In principle, all draft laws submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for review will be released in full text to solicit public opinions," the NPC Standing Committee announced.
"The draft laws will be published on our official website (www.npc.gov.cn). If they're closely related to the interests of the people, the drafts will also be published on major newspapers," the Committee said.
True to form, the draft food safety law, aimed at raising standards and regulating supervision, was made public yesterday.
The law was tabled for first review at the NPC Standing Committee last December.
The public can either mail their comments and suggestions to the NPC Standing Committee or visit the official website to leave ideas before May 20, according to the Committee.
It is not the first time the NPC Standing Committee has publicized draft laws, but the move to make it a regular practice is a significant development.
In the past five years, the NPC Standing Committee has published full texts of the draft property, employment promotion and labor contract laws, as well as a draft amendment to the Law on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution to solicit opinions.
But during the same period, more than 70 laws were passed.
"To make such publication a regular practice grants the public a greater say in legislation," Shen Chunyao, deputy director of the legislative affairs commission of the NPC Standing Committee, said.
"Open and transparent legislation can better ensure the public's right to know, participate, express and supervise," he said. "More importantly, people can have a better understanding of the new laws when they participate in legislation."
The latest decision by the NPC Standing Committee was also a response to a call by the NPC Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo to "further expand the participation of ordinary citizens in legislative work".
Wu said in March during a report to the first full session of the 11th NPC that laws closely tied to the interests of the people must be made public, and public hearings and debates must be held to allow in-depth deliberation on highly technical or complicated laws.
Members of the public hailed the development, saying more transparent legislation will ensure new laws better express the people's common wishes.
"I did submit my opinion while the draft labor contract law was soliciting comments," Zhu Deming, a worker in Nanjing, said.
"I think publishing all draft laws is a good idea. If we don't agree with any stipulations, we can ask for a change before they become law. Otherwise, we have to be forced to accept them."
NPC figures show that the people are eager to take part in the legislation process. The draft labor contract law elicited a record 191,849 suggestions in just 30 days.
Zhu said he hopes to receive feedback on his suggestions from legislators.
"If we don't have feedback or our calls for amendments always result in vain, we may not have the passion to continue," he said.
(China Daily 04/21/2008 page2)
全国人大将公开法律草案促进民主立法
作者：朱喆
见报日期2008年4月21日
我国最高立法机关昨日承诺将会公开所有的法律草案以便更好的听取人民意见。
“今后全国人大常委会审议的法律草案，一般都予以公开，向社会广泛征求意见。”全国人大常委会办公厅有关负责人介绍。
据介绍，草案经常委会初次审议后，一般都在中国人大网站上予以公布；关系人民群众切身利益、社会普遍关注的重要法律案也会在中央主要新闻媒体和中国人大网站上公布。
同时，旨在提高食品安全和监管水品的食品安全法草案昨日向社会全文公布征求意见。
这部法律草案去年12月提请全国人大常委会初次审议。
据全国人大常委会办公厅有关通知，社会各界人民群众可以在五月二十日前将意见直接寄送全国人大常委会法制工作委员会，或者直接登录中国人大网留下意见。
这并不是全国人大常委会第一次公布法律草案征求意见，但将公布法律草案、公开征求意见“常态化”是一个显著的进步。
在过去的五年里，全国人大常委会公开了物权法草案、就业促进法草案、劳动合同法草案和水污染防治法修订草案以更好征求社会各界的意见。但同期，至少70部法律或法律修订案被通过。
“公布法律草案常态化有利于人民群众更好的反映自己的意见和愿望。”全国人大常委会法制工作委员会副主任沈春耀说。
“公开透明的立法更加保障了人民群众的知情权、参与权和监督权。”他说。“更重要的是，通过参与立法，人民群众对与新法律的理解也会更为透彻。”
这个决定也响应了全国人大常委会委员长吴邦国作出的“要进一步扩大公民对立法工作的有序参与”的号召。
在三月举行的11届全国人大一次会议上，吴邦国说与群众利益密切相关的法律，要通过向社会全文公布法律草案广泛听取意见；对一些专业性强比较复杂的法律，要通过立法论证会等形式征求意见、深入研究。
一些群众也表示非常欢迎这样的变化，表示更加透明的立法可以保证新法律更好的表达人民的愿望。
“在劳动合同法草案公开征求意见的时候，我提交了自己的看法。”南京的一名普通工人朱德明说。
“我觉得公开法律草案征求意见是个挺好的做法。如果我们不同意某些条款，我们可以在它们成为法律之前申请改变。如果不是这样，我们就必须得遵守它们了。”他说。
全国人大常委会的数据也显示，人民群众积极参与立法过程。在短短30天内，劳动合同法草案就征求到了191,849条意见和建议。
工人朱德明也表示，希望以后能更多的听到立法者对于群众意见的反馈。
“如果没有反馈，我们可能就白提意见了。这样大家的热情恐怕都不会持久。”他说。
