The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have agreed to hold a round of cross-caucus negotiations on Friday next week to decide on the starting date of the new legislative session, Legislative Speaker Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) said yesterday.
KMT caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) discussed the issue with DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) at a closed-door meeting at the legislature in Taipei that Yu also attended.
New legislative assistants are to receive training from Wednesday to Friday next week, so it is the caucuses’ hope that negotiations can be held on the Friday to decide when the new session would commence, Yu said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The Constitution mandates that the upcoming session must begin before next month. As Feb. 28 and 29 are national holidays, the latest date on which the session must start is Feb. 27, Yu said.
There are many new legislators and many of their offices need to be renovated, Yu said, adding that it is his job as the speaker to ask the KMT caucus whether it has such needs so that they can be taken care of before the start of the new session.
At the meeting Lin told Yu, who was elected speaker on Friday last week, that he hoped the speaker would create more opportunities for cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties by giving more importance to the opinions of smaller parties.
KMT caucus secretary-general Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said that there is an urgent need to discuss a draft act on relief funds for industry, as the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak negatively affects the nation’s economy.
The draft bill should be the first item on the agenda when the new legislative session opens, he said.
The KMT caucus would finalize its version of the proposal as soon as possible, he said, calling on the other caucuses to sponsor their own versions.
The Temporary Provisions for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Prevention and Relief (嚴重急性呼吸道症候群防治及紓困暫行條例) in 2003 skipped committee review, and advanced to a second and third reading as it was time-sensitive, he said.
He recommended that the draft bill for the coronavirus outbreak follow a similar procedure to expedite its passage.
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