DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Former deputy and president of the Opción Democrática party, José Horacio Rodríguez, has raised an alarm over a proposed legislative amendment to Article 21 of Law 176-07, which governs the National District and Municipalities. Rodríguez characterized the bill as a “deeply concerning” move that favors impunity over institutional strengthening.

He argues that the current law maintains a strict cap on payroll spending to ensure municipal resources are dedicated to public works rather than bureaucracy. However, the new proposal seeks to merge these categories, potentially allowing up to 70% of a city’s budget to be allocated toward payroll.

“Nothing would prevent the majority of municipal budgets from being diverted to personnel payments, at the expense of the infrastructure and services that communities actually need,” Rodríguez stated.

The former legislator also took aim at the...