China's top legislature starts standing committee session

BEIJING -- The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, started its 32nd session Monday in Beijing.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the session's first plenary meeting.

Lawmakers reviewed a draft amendment to the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments. In its report on the draft, the NPC Constitution and Law Committee suggested the draft be submitted to the fifth session of the 13th NPC after being reviewed at the current session.

The NPC Constitution and Law Committee also submitted to the session a draft anti-organized crime law, a draft wetlands protection law, a draft revision to the Law on Progress of Science and Technology, a draft amendment to the Seed Law, a draft law on the prevention and control of noise pollution, and a draft amendment to the Civil Procedure Law.

Considering the above six drafts are already mature, the NPC Constitution and Law Committee suggested the current session adopt them.

Lawmakers reviewed a draft revision to the Vocational Education Law, a draft amendment to the Trade Union Law, a draft revision to the Company Law, a draft amendment to the Rules of Procedure for the NPC Standing Committee, a draft law on protecting the black soil, a draft revision to the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women, a draft law on protecting the Yellow River, and a draft revision to the Emergency Response Law.

Lawmakers also deliberated a draft decision of the fifth session of the 13th NPC on the number of deputies to the 14th NPC and their election, two draft methods for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the Macao SAR to elect their deputies to the 14th NPC, and a draft revision to the decision on strengthening the oversight over economic work.

The session reviewed a draft decision of the NPC Standing Committee on convening the fifth session of the 13th NPC, several reports and personnel bills.