Legislators appeal to Judicial Yuan

Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Yang Jen-shou, right, receives DPP legislators Charles Chiang, second right, Shieh Ming-yuan, second left, and Ho Shui-sheng, left, during their visit to the Judicial Yuan yesterday. The lawmakers want the Judicial Yuan to rule on the legality of Budget resolutions passed by the legislature. PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

A group of lawmakers from the ruling DPP took a legislative resolution blocking national health insurance fee hikes to the Judicial Yuan yesterday and sought a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices.

Chiang Chau-yi (江昭儀), Hou Shui-sheng and Hsieh Ming-yuan (謝明源) met Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Yang Jen-shou (楊仁壽) to convey their stance and submitted a petition endorsed by 87 lawmakers of the DPP and its political ally, the TSU.

Chiang said the legislature's resolution made Jan. 10 opposing the hikes imposed by the Department of Health on insurance premiums and self-payment fees under the National Health Insurance Program is against terms stipulated in the Budget Law (預算法), National Health Insurance Law (健保法) and other pieces of legislation. "Therefore, the resolution is non-binding," he argued.

Hou said a constitutional interpretation on the issue by the Council of Grand Justices is necessary because strong opposition from the opposition KMT and PFP to approval of the hikes has caused trouble for the administration.

Meanwhile, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) claimed that the resolution is indeed fully binding because it was worked out under the legal foundation provided by the 52nd article of the Budget Law.

Wang made the remarks in response to a statement issued a day earlier by Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (林信義), who accused the legislature of overlooking the country's constitutional system.