The legislature yesterday passed the Lobbying Act (
The Act defines lobbying as any oral or written communication to legislative or executive branch officials regarding the formulation, modification or annulment of policies or legislation.
Issues relating to national defense, diplomacy or Chinese affairs where national security or secrets are involved fall outside the scope of the definition.
According to the Act, officials covered by the Act include the president, vice president and high-ranking officials in central and local governments.
Under the Act, lobbyists are required to register their lobbying activities and officials, in return, must report on their communications with lobbyists within seven days.
Officials must reject the lobbyists if they fail to register with the office first.
Missions stationed in Taiwan on behalf of their governments or other inter-governmental organizations are exempt from the Act.
According to the Ministry of Interior, Taiwan is the third country in the world that has enacted such legislation to regulate lobbying, after the US and Canada.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
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Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
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