The Executive Branch sent ten bills to Congress yesterday. Nine of these are to be initially studied by the Senate and one by the Chamber of Deputies. The bills are: Código Penal. Modernizes the old criminal law code dating back to the 30s. Incorporates dispositions such as indexation of fines, community work sentences, permanent jail sentense, as well as other measures for the implementing of modern systems of prevention, control and punishment of delinquency. Proyecto de Ley sobre Adquisiciones y Contrataciones Gubernamentales (bill on government purchases and contracting). Harmonizes the government purchasing systems regardless of whether purchases are carried out by the central government, autonomous entities or with internal or external financing. Ley Orgánica de la Secretaría de Estado de Relaciones Exteriores (new organizational structure of the Ministry of Foreign Relations). This bill reflects the re-engineering process to which the Ministry of Foreign Relations was subject to with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program. Ley de Migración (migration bill). New rulings on status of foreigners in the DR, entry of persons in transit and temporary laborers. Secretaría de Estado de Transporte (Ministry of Transport). Creation of the new ministry seeks to group the different transport related operations of the government. Ley Orgánica de la Administración Pública (public administration structure) provides for the applying of scientific criteria to the new structure of the Executive Branch, and the judicial framework so that the state can be a catalyst to national development focusing on the citizen. Proyecto de Ley de Vivienda y Asentamientos Humanos (bill on housing and human settlements) covers provisions to reduce the housing deficit that affects Dominicans as well as deals with the housing deficit affects Dominicans and the resulting slum areas. Ley Orgánica Municipal (provisions to modify the law that rules city governments), granting these new functions, ability to generate their own resources, with a focus on decentralizing the state. Programa de Promoción y Apoyo a la Micro, Pequeña y Mediana Empresa (project to promote micro, small and medium sized business). Bill that reduces from 4.5 to 2% the tax on sports betting, and from 10 to 5% the tax on horse races betting. Motivated because the high taxes have impeded that those who have leased the Quinto Centenario Horse Race Track achieving acceptable profitability.
