Local People’s Congress launches budget reviews
Print Edition
AS a frontrunner in China’s reform and opening-up policies, Pudong New Area has never lacked courage, wisdom or, most importantly, respect for the rule of law.
But how is the government spending taxpayers’ money? What is the best way to safeguard the fundamental interests of the people? The Pudong People’s Congress makes full use of its authorization from the Municipal People’s Congress and its own decision making authority on major issues.
It has now launched trials to strengthen examination and supervision of its budget.
With its standing below municipality level, Pudong People’s Congress doesn’t have legislative rights in line with the State Legislation Law, but the Municipal People’s Congress of Shanghai has entitled it with decision making authority on major issues for the promotion of Pudong’s reform.
“This is the first authorized legislation by the local legislature,” said Ding Wei, director of the Law Committee of the Municipal People’s Congress of Shanghai. Ding took part in the legislation of the authorization.
The decision falls under the category of local legislation, and has the same legal effect as other local legislation. Such a development has never happened before in the history of local legislation. “The courage Pudong has to make brave moves comes, to a large extent, from the support of the authorization,” Ding said.
To fulfill the authorization, Pudong People’s Congress carried out a series of studies under the guidance and support of the Municipal People’s Congress to identify a legal basis and implementation path for reform and innovation.
On the occasions of the third anniversary of the establishment of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Pudong People’s Congress and the Municipal People’s Congress carried out legislative research, proposed amendments to the law to map out plans to build a free trade zone with the highest degree of openness, and accelerate the construction of an open economy.
Pudong People’s Congress and the Municipal People’s Congress jointly launched an inspection to promote the integration of trial operations on the comprehensive reform and construction of the Shanghai FTZ.
The Pudong People’s Congress also made the “Decision on accelerating the construction of the core functional areas of Pudong New Area Science and Technology Innovation Center” to better serve the national strategy. After the decision was made, the congress tracked its implementation, organized an inquiry to accelerate its fulfillment and optimize its layout.
Apart from that, the Pudong People’s Congress also made a resolution to regularize illegal buildings in the new area, a move which offered supervision and support to government actions against illegal buildings and provided a legal basis to optimize administration.
“This is a vivid portrayal of the Pudong People’s Congress promoting reform through the rule of law,” said one of its principal lawmakers. In recent years, the new area People’s Congress made a series of resolutions and decisions related to high-tech industrialization, regularizing illegal buildings, comprehensive population management services, core functional areas of the science and technology innovation center and the construction of a financial city, which all played an important role to promote the “early and pilot implementation” of Pudong and accumulated experience for the city to deepen its reform and development.
The report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to strengthen the review and supervision of the overall government budget. From 2014, Pudong People’s Congress started the review and supervision of the overall government budget to closely monitor government spending for taxpayers. Any expenditure of more than 300,000 yuan (US$43,713) is subject to review and supervision.
Taking action
Pudong People’s Congress also piloted prior inquiry ahead of the budget review, which involved new area government agencies; including the commission on the economy and informatization, the science and technology commission, the bureau of justice, the agricultural commission and the planning, land and resources administration. Lawmakers and experts carried out inquiries on the draft budget ahead of sessions of the People’s Congress.
“This approach extends the implementation of the budget review from the general budget to the department budget, which is a key step for Pudong People’s Congress to take substantive budget reviews,” said a principal lawmaker with the congress.
“Thus, it prompted the budget department to declare the budget more carefully and promote budgeting by the financial sector more scientifically and reasonably.”
Apart from the budget review, there are many ways for the congress to carry out supervision.
In recent year, the Pudong People’s Congress launched inquiries on the construction of public and educational facilities, food security, environmental governance and audit rectification. It also launched inspections and unannounced visits, and obtained satisfactory results.
Pudong People’s Congress has conducted inspections and visits to urge grassroots officials to regularize illegal buildings, a step which has improved the area’s environment.
The Pudong People’s Congress has held inquires regularly and urged government and enterprises to build specific mechanisms to ensure food security.
It also held inquires over three consecutive years to urge local authorities to improve educational facilities and ease challenges in school admission in some areas. Most of schools involved have started construction to improve their facilities.
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