The National Congress expedited the approval of a controversial bill authorizing the state to pay the debts claimed by more than 500 builders and contractors who acknowledge they executed public works without formal contracts. The legislation, which was declared urgent and passed in two consecutive readings in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, aims to settle financial obligations dating back in some cases to over 30 years, covering projects that range from infrastructure maintenance to school repairs.
Proponents argue the measure acts as a restitution for work completed but never compensated due to administrative hurdles, while critics have raised concerns over the lack of transparency regarding the specific amounts involved and the beneficiaries.
The legislators argued the bill addresses a long-standing limbo for hundreds of engineers and small contractors who, despite delivering on state orders, found themselves unable to collect payment because their engagements lacked the requisite legal frameworks or contracts at the time of execution. Estimates suggest the total debt could exceed RD$2 billion, encompassing works commissioned as far back as 1996 and 1990.
The legislation mandates that the Ministry of Hacienda verify and validate these debts before disbursement, a provision intended to ensure that payments are made only for tangible, completed projects.
The ruling PRM is majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and Senate and voted in favor of the bill. Local media highlighted that a vocal supporter of the legislation is opposition Senator Felix Bautista, representing San Juan de la Maguana for the Fuerza del Pueblo party. Bautista was involved in multiple construction works as director of the now closed Supervisory Office of Public Works (Oisoe).
Bautista has strongly promoted the bill, arguing that it includes necessary restrictions to prevent abuse while ensuring that families of deceased contractors can finally inherit the payments due to them. He defended the initiative by highlighting cases of school maintenance workers who were hired via simple work orders and have been left unpaid for years due to bureaucratic shifts.
Bautista’s prominent role in championing this bill has drawn attention given his history with international oversight bodies. The senator was previously named by Transparency International in its “Unmask the Corrupt” campaign, where he was voted by the public as one of the world’s most symbolic cases of grand corruption, a designation that labeled him among the most allegedly corrupt government officers globally. His involvement has added a layer of scrutiny to a bill already criticized for validating transactions that bypassed standard procurement laws.
Legislative records show the bill moved through the chambers with significant speed, utilizing the “urgency” mechanism to bypass standard deliberation periods. The bill secured passage and now awaits promulgation by the Executive Branch to become law.
Follow the story in Spanish:
CDN
Senate
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
19 January 2026