Meanwhile over in parliament
In what is the first bipartisan accord of the current National Assembly, lawmakers today approved an array of bills to improve people’s daily lives.
Our National Assembly correspondent Lee Shi-hoo reports.
On Wednesday, the 22nd National Assembly representatives were hard at work, hammering out 28 pieces of legislation that will impact many aspects of people’s lives, tackling pending issues in real estate, energy, medical service, and more.
In a rare show of consensus, all 295 lawmakers present at the plenary session voted to provide greater support for the victims of real estate rental scams.
A revision to an existing act, this will guarantee the victims up to 20 years of residence in the property they’ve rented.
Another proposal, restricting the rights of parents to inherit their deceased sons’ or daughters’ money and assets when they did not sufficiently carry out their parental duties, passed with strong support.
The so-called “Goo Hara Bill” is named after the late K-pop star whose mother and brother disputed over who would inherit the singer’s money after her death.
And perhaps the most fiercely debated, the revision to the current Nursing Act, which was tabled after a last-minute agreement in a late-night meeting of the Health and Welfare Committee.
The rival lawmakers met halfway just hours before the plenary session and agreed to provide the legal basis for further medical practice by nurses who qualify to act as physician assistants.
“This defines the additional roles of nurses, with qualifying professional, clinical, and educational experience, in providing medical service under a doctor’s general guidance or delegation.”
“The Nursing Act aims to protect them so they can put all their attention and focus on providing medical care to patients and thereby ultimately protect the lives and health of the people.”
This comes at an especially critical time as South Korea deals with a shortage of medical personnel at major hospitals after many doctors resigned in protest of medical school enrollment expansion and just a day before the nurses’ planned protest, calling for better working conditions.
A goal since the previous Assembly, the revision passed with 283 lawmakers voting for, two against, and five abstaining in an unprecedented, bipartisan move toward a coalition by the current Assembly.
But tensions linger as the rival lawmakers prepare to discuss potential agendas for the much-anticipated meeting between their party leaders PPP’s Han and DP’s Lee, which is expected in weeks.
Lee Shi-hoo, Arirang News.
source : https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=275332
