A cross-caucus negotiation yesterday ended in a stalemate after legislators failed to agree on what bills to review during the extempore session, which begins today.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus, which holds the majority in the Legislative Yuan, has proposed reviewing draft amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), the Income Tax Act (所得稅法) and the Act of Irrigation Association Organization (農田水利會組織通則), as well as the general budget and President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) follow-up nominations of 11 Control Yuan members and a bill governing the establishment of a national center for social housing and urban regeneration.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said the caucus hopes to review draft amendments to the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣汙染防制法) and the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), in addition to the general budget.
Photo: CNA
People First Party caucus whip Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) called on all caucuses to discuss proposed labor law amendments, adding that he hopes Premier William Lai (賴清德) can give a presentation on the Executive Yuan’s policies on reducing air pollution and its plans to adjust energy, industrial and traffic policies.
“Air pollution is not something that can be solved with a law, but rather coherent policymaking on various fronts,” Lee said.
New Power Party Legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal suggested dropping proposed amendments to the labor law, saying that with the widespread controversy surrounding the proposals still unresolved, it would be difficult to create a win-win situation for employers and employees.
She suggested reviewing amendments to the Air Pollution Control Act, the Mining Act (礦業法) and the general budget.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said the caucus wished to review amendments to the Air Pollution Act and the Mining Act, but opinions on proposed amendments are too divided.
Citing the Mining Act as an example, Ker said that including motions by DPP legislators Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) and Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) — both in favor of tightening regulations on extending mining rights — 128 motions await review, and more than half of those have been set aside for further discussion at a plenary session.
The Mining Act cannot be discussed during the extempore session, because it has not cleared committee reviews, Ker said.
However, the DPP caucus understands that the public is greatly concerned about the laws and would list them as priority bills during the next regular session, he said.
He echoed Lee’s remarks that Lai should brief lawmakers regarding the government’s long-term plans to combat air pollution, saying that it is Lai’s unavoidable responsibility and could even become the most high-profile political issue this year.
Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) announced that bills to be reviewed would be discussed during a plenary session today, which means they would likely be decided through a vote.
Ministry of Labor officials would be asked to attend cross-caucus negotiations, so that they can better explain the draft amendments, Su said.
Hopefully agreements on the amendments can be reached during negotiations and voting would only be used as a last resort, he added.
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