HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee opened its 32nd session in Hà Nội on Monday under the leadership of NA Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân.

Opening the session, Chairwoman Ngân said five bills will be tabled for discussion at the meeting. They include the draft law amending and supplementing some articles of the law on state audits, the draft revised law on militias and self-defence forces, the draft law on architecture, the draft revised law on education and the draft law on libraries.

The NA Standing Committee will also look into a draft resolution on handling tax debts and fines on overdue debts of tax payers who have become bankrupt, been dissolved or stopped doing business and are no longer been able to contribute to the State budget.

Some other resolutions and decisions are slated to be approved during this session, including one on the arrangement of administrative units at district and communal levels in the 2019-21 period.

The NA Chairwoman informed the committee that five documents had been omitted from this session’s agenda pending more research, including the draft revised Labour Code and the draft revised law on securities.

As its first order of business, the committee examined the proposed amendments to the state audit law.

The 2015 Law on State Audit was passed at the ninth session of the 13th National Assembly and took effect on January 1, 2016. The law has since shown several shortcomings that require adjustment.

Most members of the committee said further discussion would be needed before a decision could be made regarding whether to allow the State audit office to issue administrative fines for violations, but the committee suggested that the agency could levy fines if audited organisations obstruct the auditors’ work or refuse to divulge documents requested by the auditors.

The NA deputies spent the afternoon discussing the revised Law on Militiamen and Self Defence Forces, which aims to build strong forces and a people’s army to take on national defence tasks.

The NA Committee of National Defence and Security reached a consensus on the necessity of making amendments to the law, which took effect in 2009. The amendments will specify Party directions and regulations stated in the 2013 Constitution and update the law to fit the national defence–related legal system.

Võ Trọng Việt, head of the Committee of National Defence and Security, said the committee that compiles the revised law must clarify policies related to the organisation of the forces.

The NA deputies agreed that the quality of the forces in key defence and security zones and areas of high security risk must be improved. — VNS