Hanoi (VNA) – Legislators on August 3 discussed the draft revised Law on Dissemination and Education of Law and the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on State Compensation Liability as part of the first extraordinary session of the 16th National Assembly.
Presenting the proposal for the draft revised Law on Dissemination and Education of Law, Minister of Justice Hoang Thanh Tung said the bill comprises five chapters and 39 articles.
It expands the responsibilities of agencies drafting legal documents, State management bodies, agencies proposing international treaties and agreements, National Assembly bodies and press agencies.
It also clearly defines the responsibilities of ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels in directing legal dissemination and education, while adding obligations to legal service providers, related professional organisations, criminal judgment enforcement agencies, employers, lawyers and jurists.
On policy communication and modern approaches to legal dissemination and education, the draft introduces provisions on the objectives, content, forms and responsibilities for popularising policies, while incorporating new methods that make use of digital technologies, social media and artificial intelligence to facilitate residents' and businesses' access to legal information.
Regarding the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on State Compensation Liability, Tung said it contains two articles. Article 1 amends and supplements 35 articles and repeals two articles of the current law, while Article 2 sets out execution provisions.
The draft introduces six major groups of amendments covering the principles and scope of State compensation liability, agencies responsible for handling compensation in criminal proceedings, procedures for settling compensation claims, funding for compensation, reimbursement obligations of public officials, and State management of compensation activities.
Alongside measures to simplify administrative procedures and promote digitalisation in handling compensation claims, the draft adds provisions allowing decisions on handling compensation to be issued when negotiations fail and extends the statute of limitations for filing compensation lawsuits with the courts.
It also stipulates that compensation costs will be covered by the budget of the agency handling the claim and exempts public officials from reimbursement obligations in certain circumstances, including outstanding public service, terminal illness, or prolonged severe financial hardship caused by natural disasters, fires or accidents.
Presenting verification reports, Chairman of the NA Committee for Legal and Judicial Affairs Phan Chi Hieu expressed support for the necessity and objectives of both draft laws and broadly agreed with their proposed scope of amendments.
He said the drafts are generally consistent with the Party's guidelines, comply with the Constitution, ensure coherence within the legal system, are compatible with relevant international treaties, and include provisions promoting science and technology, innovation and digital transformation.
The committee recommended that the Government continue reviewing issues raised in the verification reports to further refine the drafts, ensuring they better reflect the renewed approach to lawmaking while maintaining consistency across the legal framework. It also called for further assessment of financial and human resource requirements to ensure effective implementation.
Regarding the revised Law on Dissemination and Education of Law, the committee proposed clarifying the principles and requirements governing policy communication to prevent public opinion from unduly influencing policy approval or legislative decisions. It also suggested defining policy communication more clearly to avoid overlap with public consultations during the law drafting process, thereby preventing duplication and waste of resources.
With regard to the draft amendments to the Law on State Compensation Liability, particularly provisions concerning State compensation in tax administration, many committee members proposed retaining the current regulations./.
