TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Monday addressed the KMT’s proposal to deregulate the use of legislative aide fees, reminding all parties that reforms must not infringe on the rights of legislative aides.
Under the KMT plan, funding for legislative aides — including salaries, health insurance, and miscellaneous expenses — would be disbursed directly to lawmakers without requiring receipts for verification, per CNA. The Legislative Aides’ Union has raised concerns about reduced transparency and the risk that publicly funded assistants could lose existing benefits.
Lawmakers across parties have faced legal scrutiny over the use of aide funds, including Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安), whose case prompted the High Court to seek clarification from the Legislative Yuan on long-standing practices.
Han said lawmakers have the right to propose legislation, but emphasized that any reform must protect aides’ rights, per Liberty Time. He added that aides are indispensable to the Legislative Yuan’s operations and play a key role in strengthening Taiwan’s democracy.
KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍), who introduced the proposal, said she would not withdraw it, per Mirror Media. She welcomed discussion but objected to what she described as personal attacks on legislators who signed onto her draft.
The KMT legislative caucus decided Monday to remove Chen’s proposal from its top agenda items to allow more time for discussion and consensus-building, per CNA. Sources familiar with the caucus meeting said most KMT lawmakers do not support rushing the proposal through the legislative process.
Beyond internal resistance, the KMT is also facing pushback from the DPP. DPP caucus director Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) warned that because the plan would allow lawmakers to handle aide funds without receipt-based oversight, it could effectively become an annual pay raise of NT$7.8 million (US$250,048) for each legislator, per UDN.
The KMT’s coalition partner, the TPP, is also divided. TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said the party would uphold the principle that public funds must be used for public purposes, per CNA. Huang added that efforts to formalize the aide system must safeguard existing rights and avoid the perception of aiding individuals facing legal troubles.
Among TPP legislative offices, attitudes toward a joint statement urging the KMT to withdraw the proposal are split three ways: some aides signed the statement, some refused, and some were reportedly criticized by their legislator after signing, per ETtoday.
