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Public Comment Sought on Marriage Law
Senior legislators Thursday released draft amendments to the current Marriage Law for nationwide public comment.
The decision to encourage the nationwide discussion was made at a meeting of chairmen of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China's top legislative body, according to a notice issued by the general office of the NPC Standing Committee.
Opinions on the draft amendments can be submitted to the standing committees of the local people's congress or directly to the Legislative Affairs Committee of the NPC Standing Committee, which is responsible for collecting views on draft amendments before February 28, the notice said.
The legislative affairs committee will collect public opinion on draft amendments and submit them to the senior legislators before the third reading.
Draft laws or amendments to law are usually passed by legislators after three readings, according to the Law on Legislative Procedure.
With 52 clauses in six chapters, the draft amendments cover general principles of the law, marriage, family relations, divorce, liabilities and supplementary provisions.
Subjects like bigamy and domestic violence have triggered heated debate since legislators decided to revise the Marriage Law in 1995.
The draft amendments were discussed by senior legislators last October in their preliminary reading.
To encourage a more comprehensive debate, lawmakers organized a plenary meeting to discuss the draft amendments last month in their second round of deliberation.
The debate focused on the punishment of bigamy and other types of misconduct that challenge monogamy.
Discussions also concentrated on domestic violence, marriage settlements and the division of family property, as well as compensation in divorce.
The meeting of chairmen of the NPC Standing Committee is allowed to release important draft law or amendments to the public when necessary, according to the Law on Legislative Procedure.
A similar situation happened when the Contract Law was passed in 1999 and the law on the organization of villager's committees in 1998. (China Daily)
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