Legislators yesterday passed the second reading of draft proposals to boost government spending for industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to NT$630 billion (US$22.55 billion).
The proposed amendments to the Special Act for Prevention, Relief and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例) next proceed to the final phase of cross-party negotiations.
They are to be considered for a third reading on May 31, the final day of the current legislative session, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said.
Photo: CNA
The proposals would raise government spending to NT$630 billion for industries affected by the pandemic, up from the current cap of NT$420 billion, while also extending the spending deadline to June 30 next year. The current bill is set to expire on June 30.
A report accompanying the proposal said that the additional spending and extension were needed to spur economic growth, as more businesses are affected by COVID-19 with a recent increase in local infections.
“The outbreak situation is affecting industries and families, and the public needs relief and economic revitalization to protect people’s livelihoods and maintain social stability,” it said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Legislators also passed amendments to the Criminal Code to address inconsistencies in punishments for people found guilty of traffic infractions that resulted in injuries and who fled the scene of the incident.
Under the amendment, offenders are to receive jail sentences from six months to five years, while those whose actions resulted in death or serious injuries are to receive prison terms of one to seven years.
Meanwhile, the Legislative Yuan yesterday tested holding sessions through videoconferencing during the morning session, which You said was a “historic” moment.
Although 80 of the 113 legislators have been set up to connect to the videoconferencing system through computers or iPads, only 36 participated in the test.
“It felt OK to operate the system. If the COVID-19 outbreak continues, it would be better to use videoconferencing for our meetings,” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Mei-hui (王美惠) said.
On Thursday last week, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said that the KMT did not support the idea because of security concerns, adding that electronic devices might contain surveillance programs.
Meetings at the Legislative Yuan have been suspended for a week starting today amid a surge in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.
The decision was made following interparty negotiations on Thursday afternoon.
Several committee meetings have been canceled since Saturday last week, when the Central Epidemic Command Center raised the COVID-19 alert to for Taipei and New Taipei City to level 3, which has since been applied to the entire nation.
Additional reporting by CNA
TENSIONS: The Chinese aircraft and vessels were headed toward the western Pacific to take part in a joint air and sea military exercise, the Ministry of National Defense said A relatively large number of Chinese military aircraft and vessels were detected in Taiwan’s vicinity yesterday morning, apparently en route to a Chinese military exercise in the western Pacific, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. In a statement, the ministry said 36 Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including J-16 fighters and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or an extension of it, and were detected in the southern and southeastern parts of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) from 5:20am to 9:30am yesterday. They were headed toward the western Pacific to take part in a
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
CASES SLOWING: Although weekly COVID-19 cases are rising, the growth rate has been falling, from 90 percent to 30 percent, 14 percent and 6 percent, the CDC said COVID-19 hospitalizations last week rose 6 percent to 987, while deaths soared 55 percent to 99, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that the recent wave of infections would likely peak this week. People aged 65 or older accounted for 79 percent of the hospitalizations and 90 percent of the deaths, the majority of whom have or had underlying health conditions, CDC data showed. The youngest hospitalized case last week was a six-month-old, who was born preterm and was unvaccinated, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said. The infant had a fever, coughing and a runny nose early this month, but