The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has announced 13 priority bills for the new legislative session, focusing on four main areas: social justice, children, education and young people.
DPP Legislator Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) said the proposed “fundamental act on artificial intelligence” (人工智慧基本法) has made limited progress despite appearing to have passed initial committee procedures.
Lawmakers have yet to reach consensus on key issues, including the bill’s official title, its supervising government agency and the definition of “artificial intelligence,” she said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
She urged all parties not to delay the process adding that the expertise of administrative bodies and professional sectors should be respected.
DPP Legislator Chen Hsiu-pao said she proposed a “school food and beverage act” last year, but its advancement has been hindered by fiscal constraints.
She called on the Ministry of Education to work with local governments to finalize the bill’s provisions.
DPP Legislator Saidhai Tahovecahe said she has been working to amend the Regulations on the Development and Management of Lands Reserved for Indigenous Peoples (原住民保留地開發管理辦法) and to propose the establishment of indigenous schools focused on teaching in mother tongues and preserving cultural heritage.
Legislator-at-large Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲), originally from Malaysia, said that as a “new resident,” she understands the challenges immigrants face in public participation, adding that she plans to propose an “organic act for a new resident development agency” to be administered by the Ministry of the Interior, responsible for institutionalizing government support for new residents and strengthening interagency coordination.
Legislator-at-large Lin Yueh-chin (林月琴) emphasized the need for a “childcare services act” following several cases of child abuse causing injury or death.
“We must strengthen protections for children under the age of two and enhance the professionalism of childcare services, with priority given to rural and remote areas as well as disadvantaged communities,” Lin said.
“It is important to ensure children’s safety and to give parents peace of mind. There must be a comprehensive review of children’s rights, and a fundamental law safeguarding the rights and protection of children and youth, including digital and environmental rights, should be established to meet the challenges of the future,” she said.
Legislator-at-large Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) said she is proposing amendments to the Act for Education Development of Schools in Remote Areas (偏遠地區學校教育發展條例) to address the shortage of resources and teachers in rural townships and mountainous regions.
Chen Pei-yu said she also plans to amend the Act Governing the Appointment of Educators (教育人員任用條例) to close loopholes exposed by past sexual harassment cases, ensuring that schools have clear authority to dismiss, suspend or refuse to renew contracts of teachers involved in sexual offenses or deemed unfit for their positions.
Legislator-at-large Ngalim Tiunn (張雅琳) said that the Child and Juvenile Welfare and Rights Protection Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) has not been amended since 2011.
The new session provides an opportunity to strengthen protections so that children and young people can truly benefit, including securing their right to express opinions and their broader right to participation in matters affecting them, Tiunn said.
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
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