China to discuss 68 bills in next 5 years

BEIJING - China's top legislature plans to discuss 68 bills in the next five years, 11 of which are related to environmental issues.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's national legislature, announced a five-year legislation plan here Wednesday.

A total of 47 bills are set to be discussed, including 33 draft amendments and 14 new laws, according to the plan.

There are also 21 bills being drafted that will be submitted for discussion when ready, the document said.

The bills on environmental issues include draft amendments to land management, environmental protection, air pollution and water pollution as well as draft laws on soil pollution and safety of nuclear facilities.

Lawmakers will continue discussing the draft amendment to the environmental protection law, which has gone through three readings.

Another much-anticipated bill is the draft revision to the budget law, which has been read twice.

There are also several important bills about China's political system, such as draft amendments to the legislation law, the administrative procedure law and administrative reconsideration law.

A number of the bills concern people's livelihood, such as food safety, workplace safety, management of medicine, social assistance, charity and community correction bills.

The NPC Standing Committee has published a legislation plan every five years since 1993.

Also on Wednesday, the NPC Standing Committee held a meeting on its legislative work. The meeting is usually held in the first year of the newly elected NPC.

At the meeting, Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, pledged to increase ways for the public to play a bigger role in legislative work.