Administrative Measures of Jiangxi Province for Assisting Vagrants and Beggars

· Document Number：Decree No. 167 of the People’s Government of Jiangxi Province

· Area of Law： Civil Affairs

· Level of Authority： Local Government Rules

· Date issued：03-22-2008

· Effective Date：04-01-2008

· Status： Effective

· Issuing Authority： People's Government of Jiangxi Province

Decree of the People's Government of Jiangxi Province
(No. 167)
The Administrative Measures of Jiangxi Province for Assisting Vagrants and Beggars with No Means of Support in Cities, examined and adopted at the 69th Executive Meeting of the People's Government of Jiangxi Province on February 23, 2008, are hereby promulgated and shall go into effect as of April 1, 2008.
Governor: Wu Xinxiong
March 22, 2008
Administrative Measures of Jiangxi Province for Assisting Vagrants and Beggars with No Means of Support in Cities
Article 1 In order to efficiently administrate the work for assisting vagrants and beggars with no means of support in cities, guarantee their basic living rights and interests and improve the social assistance systems, these Measures are enacted with a full consideration of the realities of the province and in accordance with Measures for Assisting Vagrants and Beggars with no Means of Support in Cities promulgated by the State Council.
Article 2 Vagrants and beggars with no means of support in cities (hereafter called “vagrants and beggars”) as stipulated in these Measures refer to the persons who cannot afford board and lodging themselves, have no relatives or friends to depend on, and are roaming about and begging in the cities every day.
Those who do not comply with the stipulations specified in the preceding paragraph are not objects of the assistance despite their roaming and begging acts.
Article 3 The government at county level or above shall strengthen its leadership over the work for assisting vagrants and beggars, establishing and improving the coordination mechanism for the assistance work, taking effective measures to assist vagrants and beggars in time according to law, and incorporate the assistance funds into the fiscal budget to ensure that the assistance work gets financial allocations.
The government encourages and supports any social organization or individual to provide assistance to vagrants and beggars. Any social organization or individual that has donated properties to such assistance shall be entitled to preferential treatment in taxation.

Article 4 The municipal people's government at county level or above shall establish assistance station for vagrants and beggars and set up special living areas for minor vagrants and beggars within the assistance station according to the actual needs. When conditions permit, organizations for assistance and protection of minor vagrants can be established. In a city where no such assistance station has been established yet, it is necessary to hold some staff members responsible for the assistance work.
The assistance station shall be conveniently located, accessible and far from dangerous areas. Besides, the assistance station shall be provided with necessary facilities, equipment and staff members for the assistance work.
Article 5 The assistances offered by an assistance station to vagrants and beggars are merely temporary social ones, which should be offered on a voluntary and free-of-charge basis. However, the assistance station shall take the initiative to assist vagrants and beggars with no capacity or with limited capacity for civil conduct.
Article 6 Civil affairs department of the people's government at county level or above shall be responsible for the work of assisting vagrants and beggars within its administrative region. The civil affairs department of the people's government that has established an assistance station shall perform the following duties:
(1) Guide and supervise the assistance station in its implementation of the laws, regulations, rules and policies concerning the assistance work;
(2) Offer the necessary education and training to the staff members of the assistance station;
(3) Investigate the assistance station or its staff members involved in violation of laws and disciplines, and settle the problems properly;
(4) Coordinate the assistance station with other organs and departments concerned, and help them solve the difficulties and problems encountered in practical assistance work;
(5) Perform other duties in accordance with law.
Article 7 The departments concerned of the people's government at county level or above shall perform their respective duties in assisting vagrants and beggars according to the provisions specified below:
(1) The public security, urban management or other administrative department, if finding any vagrants and beggars, shall be obliged to inform them that they can ask for assistance in the local assistance station. As for the disabled, the minor or the aged vagrants and beggars or other such persons with difficulties in mobility, the staff members from these departments shall instruct or accompany them to the assistance station. In case the vagrants and beggars are patients in critical conditions or with mental diseases, the staff members from these departments shall send them to the medical organization specially designated by the local civil affairs department or inform the local first-aid center to immediately send them to the designated medical organization for medical treatment and meanwhile notify the local civil affairs department or assistance station of what has happened. Any person who continually pesters or forcibly begs from another person or begs by other irritating means shall be educated and persuaded to stop doing so by the public security department.
(2) The financial department shall be responsible for realizing financial allocations for assisting vagrants and beggars, make appropriate adjustments to the allocated funds with a full consideration of the actual need of the assistance in the corresponding year, while supervising whether the assistance funds were spent in accordance with law.
(3) The public health department shall designate some medical organizations to provide medical treatment services for vagrants and beggars, and give the organizations specific guidance for efficient implementation of the assistance work.
(4) The transportation or railway department shall give every possible aid to the assistance station or the civil affairs department for buying bus, train or ship tickets for the vagrants and beggars as well as sending them aboard and helping them get off a train, ship or plane.
(5) The development & reform, education, labor & social security, judicial administration departments, disabled persons' federation as well as the relevant departments and units shall well perform their respective duties in connection with the assistance work.
Article 8 If the staff members in urban sub-district office or community residents' committee have found any vagrant or beggar within the area under their jurisdiction, they shall tell the vagrant or beggar to ask for assistance in the local assistance station or take him/her to the station for assistance.
Article 9 Departments responsible for the administration of public places such as wharves, railway and bus stations, where there are usually more vagrants and beggars, shall give the local assistance station some necessary aids while setting up road signs to show the location and telephone number of the assistance station. The assistance station which has made public its telephone number shall assign special staff members to answer the telephone 24 hours a day.
Article 10 When asking for assistance from an assistance station, a vagrant or beggar shall faithfully provide his/her information as follows:
(1) Name, age, place of registered permanent residence, and domicile;
(2) The reason for, time and course of, vagrancy and begging;
(3) Names, addresses, and contact methods of his/her near relatives and other relatives with close relationship;
(4) The Articles he/she carries along.
If the vagrant or beggar asking for assistance is unable to provide his/her personal information since he/she is too old, too young or disabled, the assistance station shall render assistance first before finding the relevant information.
Also no assistance will be rendered to those who refuse to provide their personal information or don't provide their personal information faithfully.
Article 11 The assistance station shall tell the vagrant or beggar asking for assistance about the scope of assisted objects and the contents of the assistance offered, and shall inquire about the information relating to the assistance needs and register the personal information of that vagrant or beggar.
If the person asking for assistance is found qualified for the assistance, he/she shall go through the formalities for acceptance by the station. The Articles he/she carries along, except the living necessities, shall be kept by the station, and returned to him/her when he/she leaves the station. The explosive, poisonous, radioactive, corrosive and other dangerous Articles as well as implements under control and forbidden publications that the person asking for assistance carries along shall be immediately handed over to the departments concerned for proper disposal.
If the person asking for assistance is found unqualified for it, the station will render no assistance to him/her, and meanwhile give the reasons and issue a Notice for Not Offering Assistance.
Article 12 The assistance station shall provide the following assistances according to the needs of the assisted persons:
(1) Providing food in conformity with the requirements on food hygiene;
(2) Providing a lodging place that meets the basic safety and sanitary conditions;
(3) Sending him/her to the designated medical organization for treatment in case the assisted person suddenly suffers from acute disease in the assistance station;
(4) Contacting the assisted person's relatives or workplace;
(5) Providing him/her with a ticket or its equivalent for taking bus, train or ship in case the assisted person has no money to pay the traveling expenses for return to his/her domicile or workplace;
The assistance station shall provide the assisted persons with lodging places according to their sexes. If the assisted persons are the aged or children, they shall be arranged to live separately from other assisted persons, and each of them shall be provided with a separate bed. If the assisted persons are female, they shall be managed by female staff members.
If the assisted persons are the disabled, the minors, the aged or pregnant women, they shall be specially taken care of and protected in their daily lives.
Article 13 The assistance station shall determine the period of assistance according to the situation of an assisted person, and generally the period shall not exceed 10 days. However, under any of the following circumstances, the period may be extended if the extension has been reported for the record to the competent authority for civil affairs:
(1) The assisted person is waiting to be taken home by his/her relatives, staff members from his/her workplace, or staff members from the civil affairs department or assistance station in his/her registered permanent residence.
(2) The assisted person is receiving medical treatment.
(3) The assisted person is waiting for settlement.
Article 14 The assisted person shall follow the management rules of the assistance station and obey the staff members' management. He or she shall not commit any of the following acts:
(1) Beat or scold the staff members of the assistance station or other assisted persons, make trouble out of nothing, or disturb the order of the assistance work;
(2) Damage the assisting facilities or equipment, or damage or steal public or personal properties;
(3) Carry or conceal any explosive, poisonous, radioactive, corrosive and other dangerous Articles including controlled implements and forbidden publications;
(4) Indulge in excessive drinking, take addictive drugs or engage in gambling and other illegal or criminal activities;
(5) Commit other acts prohibited by laws, regulations and rules;
If an assisted person commits any of the acts mentioned above, the staff members in the assistance station shall stop him/her in time. In case the assisted person commits any acts in violation of the security administration regulations or is suspected of having committed a crime, the assistance station shall immediately report to the public security department for handling according to law.
Article 15 An assistance station shall, according to the situation of the assisted person, properly settle him/her down in the following ways:
(1) If the assisted person can return by himself/herself, the assistance station shall issue him/her a certificate or ticket-equivalent for taking a train, bus or ship.
(2) With respect to an assisted person who is disabled, a minor, an aged person or has difficulties in mobility, the assistance station shall notify his/her relatives or workplace to take him/her back. Where the relatives or workplace refuse to do so, if the assisted person is within the province, the civil affairs department of the place where the assisted person is currently roaming around shall notify the corresponding department of the place from which the assisted person has departed, of taking the person back to his/her relatives or workplace; if the assisted person is transprovincial, the civil affairs department of the province he or she is currently roaming around shall notify the corresponding department of the province (autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government) which the assisted person has departed from, of taking the person back to his/her relatives or workplace.
(3) With respect to an assisted person who is disabled, a minor, an aged person or has difficulties in mobility, and whose relatives or workplace can't be found, but whose place of registered permanent residence or domicile can be ascertained, if the assisted person is within the province, the civil affairs department of the place where the assisted person is currently roaming around shall notify the corresponding department of the place from which the assisted person has departed, of taking the person back to his/her registered permanent residence or domicile for settlement; if the assisted person is transprovincial, the provincial civil affairs department shall notify the corresponding department of the province (autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government) from which the assisted person has departed, of taking the person back to his/her registered permanent residence or domicile for settlement.
(4) With respect to an assisted person who is too old, too young, or disabled, and is unable to cognize his/her acts or to express himself/herself, and therefore neither his/her relatives nor workplace nor his/her registered permanent residence or domicile can be verified, the competent authority for civil affairs of the assistance station shall put forward a settlement scheme and report to the people's government at the corresponding level for approval or the settlement.
Article 16 The assistance station shall terminate its assistance to the assisted person under any of the following circumstances;
(1) The assisted person is found to have intentionally provided false personal information to cheat the station out of assistance.
(2) The assisted person has violated the provisions as stipulated in Section (1), Article 14 of these Measures and seriously disturbed the administrative order of the assistance station.
(3) The assistance station has properly settled down the assisted person according to the provisions in preceding paragraphs.
(4) The assisted person would not leave the assistance station without justified reasons after expiration of the period of assistance.
(5) Under the circumstance the assistance should be terminated if it is so required by relevant laws, regulations and rules.
When the assistance station terminates its assistance to the assisted person in accordance with law, it shall give the reasons, issue a Notice for Termination of Assistance, and go through the formalities for the departure of the assisted person from the station.
Article 17 Where an assisted person waives the assistance of his/her own accord and leaves the assistance station, he/she shall notify the assistance station of the waiver in advance, and the station may not restrict that assisted person.
Where an assisted person with no capacity or with limited capacity for civil conduct is to leave the assistance station, he/she must first obtain the consent of the assistance station.
An assisted person leaving the assistance station without notification shall be regarded as waiving the assistance.
Article 18 In the event that an assisted person dies during the valid period of the assistance, the assistance station shall promptly report such death to the local public security department, and the judicial identification organization or medical organization will issue a death certificate and notify his/her relatives or workplace of the death in time. If the true information related to the dead is not available, the assistance station shall promptly report it to the competent authority for civil affairs, and the latter ought properly to settle the problems arising thereafter according to the administrative regulations on funeral and interment.
Article 19 The people's government at the township or county level of the place where the assisted person's registered permanent residence or domicile exists, shall take measures to help the returned assisted person to solve the difficulties in production and living, and refrain him/her from roaming and begging elsewhere again; and the government shall appropriately settle the disabled, the minors and the aged that are really homeless.
The near relatives or other guardians of the assisted person who is disabled, a minor or an aged person, should perform the obligations of support and maintenance; with respect to the near relatives or other guardians that abandoned the disabled, minors or the aged, the above-mentioned government should educate and persuade them to perform the obligations of support and maintenance.
Article 20 The assistance station shall establish and perfect its various management systems such as post responsibility system, safety responsibility system and conduct codes for staff members. Furthermore, it shall carry out standardized administration and strictly implement the regulations for financial management and donation.
The assistance station shall organize its staff members to take part in various work-related trainings and take physical examinations on a regular basis.
Article 21 The assistance station shall keep a faithful record the assisted persons' information including their acceptance by the station; departure from the station and the assistance provided, etc., and shall build up assistance achieves and take good care of them. If conditions permit, information-technology may be adopted in management of the assistance archives.
Article 22 The assistance station shall establish and perfect its mechanisms for cooperation with the public security department, urban management department, designated medical organization as well as other departments and units concerned. Meanwhile it shall intensify its efforts in exchange and share of the assistance information with departments concerned, and establish assistance information network system.
Besides, the assistance station is required to establish the mechanism to cope with various emergent accidents, such as food poisoning accident, group accident or fire accident. Preliminary programs for rapid response to such emergent accidents shall be worked out, and exercises be organized on a regular basis.
Article 23 The staff members in the assistance station should be competent enough to undertake various assistance tasks. Moreover, they should enhance their legal awareness and service awareness, and consciously abide by the following provisions:
(1) Not to detain any assisted person or do so in a disguised form;
(2) Not to beat, scold, physically punish or maltreat any assisted person;
(3) Not to extort, blackmail or misappropriate any property of the assisted person;
(4) Not to embezzle the living supplies of any assisted person';
(5) Not to withhold the certificate, complaint or accusation materials of any assisted person;
(6) Not to appoint any assisted person to assume any administration work;
(7) Not to use any assisted person to do private work for themselves;
(8) Not to drink wine during work time;
(9) Not to take liberties with any woman;
Any staff member who violates the provisions mentioned above shall be given sanctions; in case that a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be investigated according to law.
Article 24 The assistance station shall put a box for complaints at the eye-catching place and make public the complaint telephone number of the competent authority for civil affairs so as to accept social supervision.
Where an assistance station fails to perform its assistance duties according to law, the person asking for assistance may disclose and report it to the competent authority for civil affairs. The competent authority for civil affairs shall, after verifying the case, order that assistance station to provide assistance in time, and give sanctions to the personnel in charge held directly liable and other directly liable personnel.
Article 25 If the competent authority for civil affairs fails to accept the report from the person asking for assistance in time, fails to order the assistance station to perform its duties in time, or fails to refer to the local people's government the matter of settling the assisted person who should be settled, the personnel in charge held directly liable and other directly liable personnel shall be given sanctions according to law.
Article 26 Whoever coerces or induces someone to beg, or continually pesters or forcibly begs from him or her or begs by other irritating means is in violation of the security administration regulations; he/she shall be penalized by the public security department according to law on violation of security administration regulations. Whoever organizes the disabled or a minor under the age of fourteen to beg by means of violence or coercion shall be investigated for criminal responsibility according to law.
Article 27 These measures shall go into effect as of April 1, 2008.