Now that insurrection is out of the question, the pan-democrats may want to return to traditional lawmaking business with the new Legislative Council session in October. The government should encourage them to do so and give them credit for it. Of course, it depends greatly on how the bloc will perform in the September Legco elections with the new national security law hanging over their heads. But even if they don’t win a majority of seats, they shouldn’t perform worse than in 2016. Here’s what the government and the opposition could work on together without too much controversy. Their cooperation would actually benefit the public. This is to restart draft legislation on housing supply, premium taxi services, e-cigarettes and waste disposal. All of them should have had popular support, yet their neglect in the current Legco session has led to their being shelved. Opposition warned primary election could break Hong Kong security law Hong Kong needs a vacancy tax on empty flats to penalise owners and developers who leave flats empty beyond a specific period. The dropped bill targets only developers, who under current adverse market conditions, will push to release flats as quickly as possible. But such a law will be useful once the property market recovers. However, many flats held by individual owners are still empty. A resubmitted law to Legco should target them as well. A franchised taxi services law will introduce greater competition by adding three new franchises with up to 600 premium taxis offering enhanced services such as online hailing, in-car Wi-fi and electronic payments. Services such as Uber should be allowed to operate legally under the proposed law. Meanwhile, the city should restrict or even ban the sale of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products with high nicotine levels. There is a global medical consensus that such devices are even more addictive and harmful than traditional cigarettes. The proposed law would impose a ban with heavy fines and jail times. Lastly, there is the mandatory waste disposal charge. Sixteen years in the making, if you can believe it, the shelved bill will create a scheme to force the public to pay for government-mandated plastic bags, with the average household paying an extra of HK$33 to HK$51 per month. It’s estimated it could reduce solid waste by 40 per cent per household in two years. The city has been on fire for far too long. Lawmakers can lead the way back to normal business.