With only two days to go before National Congress is scheduled to close the legislative period on 12 January 2023, legislators are scrambling to pass the Public Trust Bill introduced by the Presidency in February 2022.
Those that oppose the passing of the bill as previously approved in the Senate say it only establishes light penalties for serious irregularities. Likewise, others indicate it would allow the beneficiaries of public trusts to enjoy high yields yet not share the responsibility of paying back debts taken on for the projects.
The Abinader administration has explained that the Public Trust Bill submitted in February 2022 is complementary with the amendments proposed to the Public Procurement Law. The legislators have not moved on the Public Procurement Law. The amendments would provide the legal instruments to levy significant penalties on violators of the law. At present, the Public Procurement Law has allowed government officers to face little consequences for graft. Regardless of the ruling political party being majority in both houses of Congress, the legislators have not acted to change the Public Procurement Law.
The ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) at present is majority in both houses in Congress if a simple majority of 50% + 1 of the vote is required to pass the bill.
Public Procurement Agency director, Carlos Pimentel has on innumerable occasions motivated legislators to approve the bill sent to instate penalties into the Procurement Law 340.
Meanwhile, spokespeople for the opposition Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) argues that the Public Trust Law is an organic law that requires two thirds of the votes of the legislators in each house.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Deputies already passed a first reading of the Public Trust Bill and technically has the time to pass the bill in the sessions of Wednesday and Thursday.
The executive vice president of the Institutionalism and Justice Foundation (Finjus), Servio Tulio Castaños Guzmán warned on Tuesday, 10 January 2023 that the Public Trust Bill needs to include rules that prevent the public trusts from serving as entities for the massive hiring of personnel (political patronage) or for the contracting of activities that now are the responsibility of already existing government entities.
The Presidency could convene the legislators to hold extraordinary sessions to continue reviewing the bills.
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11 January 2023