China's top legislature began discussing a draft revision to the law on animal epidemic prevention, in a move to enhance work in this regard and improve animal sanitation. 

The draft has been presented for the legislators' deliberation for the first time at the regular session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), which opened Sunday. 

Besides, bills on public health, including a draft biosecurity law, and a draft revision to the law on the prevention and control of environmental pollution by solid waste are also being deliberated. 

Other legislative documents include a draft law on administrative discipline, People's Armed Police Force and draft amendments to the Copyright Law. 

Lawmakers are also deliberating on a draft decision on the convening date of the third annual session of the 13th NPC, a draft decision to authorize the State Council to temporarily adjust relevant laws and regulations in the Hainan pilot free trade zone and a report on environmental protection, among others. 

The four-day session is expected to end on April 29 (Wednesday). 

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Enhance animal epidemic prevention 

According to the draft on animal epidemic prevention, current efforts to keep animal diseases under effective control should be further intensified to ensure that key diseases are eradicated. 

The draft defines greater responsibilities for relevant businesses and government departments. 

It also stipulates enhanced efforts in monitoring epizootic diseases and the building of an epizootic prevention system, stressing such work at community levels. 

The current animal epidemic prevention law is a revised one put into effect in 2008 and the top legislature listed the revision of the law in its legislative plan in 2018. 

The NPC Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee has worked thereafter with relevant government departments to listen to opinions from animal health workers, business owners and experts in this sector as well as the legislators, and consulted with relevant authorities before drafting the revision. 

Strengthen medical waste management 

In order to strengthen the management of medical wastes, especially medical waste management work in handling major infectious disease epidemics, the new draft law revision to the law on the prevention and control of environmental pollution by solid waste Sunday returned to the regular legislative session for the third reading. 

Medical waste should be managed according to stipulations of the national category for hazardous wastes, and governments at or above the county level should improve their capabilities for the concentrated disposal of medical wastes, according to the draft. 

The draft also proposed better defining the responsibilities of medical institutions and local health and environmental authorities in handling medical wastes. 

Improve ability to respond to biosecurity risks

The draft biosecurity law was brought to the table for the second reading. The law calls for strengthening prevention and control over all kinds of biosecurity risks and improving the ability to respond to such risks.

Noting that biosecurity is an important part of national security, the draft stipulates the establishment and improvement of the national biosecurity leadership system.

The draft also emphasizes improving monitoring, early warning, reporting and tracing systems, besides strengthening management over human genetic and biological resources.

Step up supervision on public officials 

The top legislature Sunday also began deliberating on the draft law on administrative discipline to strengthen supervision over everyone working in the public sector who exercises public power. 

The draft law was submitted to the NPC Standing Committee's regular session for the second reading.  

The main contents of the draft law include general provisions, types of administrative disciplines and their application, illegal acts, procedures for issuing administrative sanctions and legal liability. 

The draft stipulates that public employees' law-based performance of duties is safeguarded by the law and they shall not be subject to administrative sanctions without statutory reasons or legal procedures.

Its first draft was reviewed by the top legislature in August 2019 and released for public comment in October 2019.   

Strengthen copyright protection

China's lawmakers also began reviewing a draft amendment to the Copyright Law to strengthen copyright protection in cyberspace and enhance supervision and punishment for illegal acts.

With the rapid development and application of new technologies, some existing regulations can no longer meet the practical needs, read Yuan Shuhong, vice minister of justice, while briefing the legislators on the draft.

The Copyright Law was put into effect in 1991 and amended in 2001 and 2010.

The draft amendment makes some changes in descriptions to keep up with the new forms of work and development of technologies, such as changing the "cinematographic works and works creating by a process analogous to cinematography" to "audiovisual works."

To significantly increase the penalties on violators of the law, the draft raises the ceiling of compensation from 500,000 to five million yuan (about 706,000 U.S. dollars).

(With input from Xinhua)