Lawmakers back from the campaign trail returned to their jobs for the first time yesterday, unanimously agreeing to get to work on the nation's budget.
Between Dec. 10 and Dec. 26, the legislature's 12 standing committees plan to meet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday to discuss spending plans that fall within their domain.
Lawmakers took a recess for the entire month of November so they could campaign to keep their posts. Yesterday was the first full assembly of the legislature since the break began.
"The legislature cannot afford any further delay, as outgoing members including myself are due to vacate their office in mid-January," KMT lawmaker Liu Kuang-hua (
Starting Jan. 3, a full meeting of the legislature is expected to debate next year's fiscal budget. If all goes well, the package should be approved by Jan. 11.
Pressed for time, the legislature will likely be forced to extend its current session, which was set to conclude at the end of this year.
A motion to lengthen the session will be formally raised later this month, according to legislative clerks.
Spending for next year is projected to reach NT$1.6 trillion, down NT$37.8 billion, or 2.3 percent, from this year.
The government is forecasting NT$1.34 trillion in revenue, leaving a shortfall of NT$258.6 billion. The government plans to issue bonds to close the gap.
Opposition caucuses had earlier threatened to send back the Cabinet's proposed budget because it failed to take into account damage caused by typhoons Toraji and Nari.
The Cabinet submitted an explanatory note on Oct. 29 in the hope of speeding up review of the budget.
Though still unhappy, opposition parties yesterday agreed to quit their boycott.
"The time constraint has left us little room to continue protesting," said New Party legislative leader Levi Ying (
Still, there are hundreds of bills, including those necessary to put into effect the recommendations of the Economic Development Advisory Conference, awaiting review.
Caucus leaders plan to hold cross-party talks this morning to come up with an agenda for the remainder of the session.
The DPP's legislative whip, Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), said he has urged party members to attend legislative meetings. Before the campaign break, only a handful of lawmakers bothered showing up to legislative sessions.
But Liu doubted that attendance would improve, noting that many of his colleagues are still fatigued by the campaign.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
RSS