Chapter  II

Submission of and Deliberation on Bills and Proposals

Article 23  The Presidium, the Standing Committee and the special committees of the National People's Congress, the State Council, the Central Military Commission, the National Commission of Supervision, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate may submit to the National People's Congress bills and proposals that fall within its powers, and the Presidium shall decide whether to put them on the agenda of a session.

A delegation or a group of thirty or more deputies may submit to the National People's Congress bills or proposals that fall within its powers. The Presidium shall decide whether or not to put the bills or proposals on the agenda of the session, or to refer them to the relevant special committees for deliberation and, after receiving their opinions, decide whether or not to put them on the agenda of the session. The Presidium shall also print the report on the disposition of the bills or proposals approved by the Presidium for distribution at the session. When bills or proposals are deliberated at meetings of the special committees, their sponsors may be invited to attend the meetings as nonvoting participants to express their opinions.

Bills or proposals that are to be submitted by a group of deputies or a delegation may be submitted before a session of the National People's Congress is held.

Article 24  With regard to bills or proposals that have been placed on the agenda of a session, the sponsors, the relevant special committees of the National People's Congress and the relevant office of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress shall provide the pertinent information.

Article 25  With regard to bills or proposals that have been placed on the agenda of a session, the sponsors shall submit explanations to the session. The bills or proposals shall be deliberated by each delegation and the Presidium may, in the meantime, refer them to the relevant special committees for deliberation. The result of the deliberations shall then be reported to the Presidium which may, after its own deliberation, decide to put the bills or proposals to the vote at a plenary meeting of the session.

Article 26  With regard to legislative bills that have been placed on the agenda of a session, after explanations about them are heard at plenary meetings, they shall be deliberated by delegations and, in the meantime, by the Constitution and Law Committee and other relevant special committees.

The Constitution and Law Committee shall, on the basis of opinions expressed during deliberations by the delegations and other relevant special committees, conduct unified deliberation on the legislative bills and submit to the Presidium the deliberation reports as well as the revised draft laws and the revised draft decisions on issues of law. The Constitution and Law Committee shall include major dissenting opinions in the deliberation reports. The Presidium shall, after deliberation and approval, print them for distribution at the session. The revised drafts shall be deliberated by delegations and be further revised by the Constitution and Law Committee based on the deliberation opinions of delegations to work out the drafts for the vote, which the Presidium shall submit to a plenary meeting of the session for the vote.

Deliberation reports that are prepared by relevant special committees shall be promptly printed and distributed at the session.

The procedure for deliberation and voting on the legislative bills prepared and submitted by a special law-drafting committee established by decision of the National People's Congress shall be formulated separately.

Article 27  When the National People's Congress is not in session, legislative bills to be submitted to it may be sent to its Standing Committee. After the Standing Committee deliberates the legislative bills according to relevant procedures, it shall decide whether to submit the said bills to the National People's Congress for deliberation.

The Standing Committee shall publish for extensive comment the legislative bills that are to be submitted to a session for deliberation, except when the Council of Chairpersons of the Standing Committee decides not to publish the bills. In general, the duration for comments shall not be less than 30 days.

Article 28  During deliberations on bills or proposals or the relevant reports involving specialized problems, the special committees may invite the relevant deputies and specialists to attend the meeting as nonvoting participants to express their opinions.

The special committees may decide on the holding of a closed meeting.

Article 29  Deliberation on a bill or proposal already placed on the agenda of a session shall be terminated upon approval by the Presidium of a request made by the sponsor for its withdrawal before it is put to the vote. 

Article 30  If important issues are raised during deliberations on a bill or proposal placed on the agenda of a session and call for further study, upon decision by a plenary meeting of a session on a proposal made by the Presidium, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress may be authorized to deliberate on the bill or proposal, after which it shall either make a decision and report it to the next session of the National People's Congress for the record or refer the bill or proposal to the next session of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Article 31  If the Presidium decides not to include in the agenda of a session a bill or proposal put forward by a delegation or a group of thirty or more deputies, the bill or proposal shall be submitted to relevant special committees of the National People's Congress for deliberation after the session is concluded. The special committees, after deliberation, shall submit a deliberation  report to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which, after being deliberated and approved by the Standing Committee, shall be printed and distributed in the next session of the National People's Congress.

Article 32  The proposals, criticisms and opinions put forward by deputies to the National People's Congress concerning any sphere of work shall be referred by the office of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to the relevant organs or organizations, which shall study them, handle them and be responsible to give an answer within three months of the referral or within six months at the latest. If the deputies are not satisfied with the answer, they may raise their opinions, which shall be referred by the office of the Standing Committee to the relevant organs or organizations or those at a higher level to be studied and handled anew and to give an answer.