Provisional Legislative Council

The NPC decided on August 31, 1994, that the term of Hong Kong's last
legislature under British rule would cease on June 30, 1997. This was
because the 1995 electoral arrangements for that legislature were not
compatible with the Basic Law and the NPC's decision on the formation
of the first legislature of the HKSAR, passed by the NPC on April 4, 1990.

On March 24, 1996, the Preparatory Committee for the HKSAR resolved
to establish the Provisional Legislative Council with the following tasks:

• To enact laws needed to ensure the proper functioning of the HKSAR
  in accordance with the Basic Law and to amend and repeal laws where
  necessary;
• To examine and approve budgets introduced by the Government;
• To approve taxation and public expenditure;
• To receive and debate the policy address of the Chief Executive;
• To endorse the appointment of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal
  and the Chief Judge of the High Court of the HKSAR;
• Participation of the President of the PLC in the nomination of the six
  Hong Kong members of the Committee for the Basic Law of the
  Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Under the Standing
  Committee of the National People's Congress; and
• To deal with other matters having to be dealt with by the PLC before
  the formation of the first Legislative Council of the HKSAR.

The same resolution also provided that the PLC should start operation
after the first Chief Executive of the HKSAR was elected and should cease
operation after the first Legislative Council of the HKSAR was formed,
that its term should not extend beyond June 30, 1998, and that any
legislation passed by the PLC before July 1, 1997, should commence
operation upon the establishment of the HKSAR. On March 14, 1997, the
NPC endorsed a report on the work of the Preparatory Committee in
which the establishment and election of the PLC were fully covered.

The 60 Provisional Legislative Councillors were elected by the Selection
Committee on December 21, 1996. On January 25, 1997, the PLC held its
first meeting in Shenzhen, where all of its meetings and those of its
committees were held up to June 30. During this period the PLC
examined and passed 13 pieces of legislation deemed necessary to come
into effect immediately on July 1, 1997, endorsed the 1997/98 Budget,
and passed the motions required to effect the appointment of judges,
including the Chief Justice of the CFA, the Permanent and
Non-Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge
of the High Court, and adopted its own Rules of Procedure. The bills and
motions passed were all confirmed and put into effect by the
Reunification Ordinance, which was itself passed on July 1, 1997, as
soon as the HKSAR was established.

Since July 1, the PLC's meetings have been held on Wednesday
afternoons in the Legislative Council Chamber. Business includes scrutiny
of bills, motion debates and questions, and tabling of reports, subsidiary
legislation and other papers.

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