NGOs say a draft revision to the social welfare law is flawed, and closed door discussions about it lack transparency.
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00:00Social welfare groups protest a draft revision to the Public Assistance Act
00:04that could be finished in the coming months.
00:06In their view, the Texas it stands now has big holes,
00:09including in its support for unhoused people and employment assistance.
00:13There's also the way the law measures income
00:15and the threshold for being able to get help,
00:17something that keeps people otherwise able to work unemployed.
00:31But it's not just the text of the draft that upsets these groups.
00:35It's the way the text is being drawn up.
00:37On Wednesday, the health ministry held its first discussion session on the draft,
00:41behind closed doors.
00:43The ministry says the draft isn't final
00:45and that it's listening to all voices,
00:47with 26 groups offering suggestions so far.
00:55But the protesting groups feel left out.
00:58They want discussion to be open,
01:00and they want to have a part in them
01:02before the year-end target for finalizing the draft.
01:05Devin Tsai and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.