He was the most voted deputy when he won the National District Constituency No. 1 vote in the 2020 congressional election, then running for Alianza Pais. Now, Jose Horacio Rodriguez seeks to win again, this time running for Opción Democrática. His sister, Virginia Antares Rodriguez is running for President for the same political party.
A very vocal and active deputy, Rodriguez has been a trusted source of the press on what is happening with bills in Congress.
“I have worked full time on legislative work and in four years it is not true that one will never make a mistake, but what I promised, what we have achieved is coherent and that makes me feel great,” he told Listin Diario, that published a long interview with Rodriguez on 10 April 2024.
Rodriguez received 17,676 votes in 2020 and hopes to top this number in the 19 May 2024 election. He called for citizens to vote for candidates such as those from Opción Democrática that are working full- time. For most legislators, the job in Congress is a part-time.
Rodriguez is proud of being incidental in the passing of Law 1-21 with amendments to the Civil Code that dates back to 1944. The amendment prohibits marriage between people under 18 years.
On his agenda is the Paternity Leave Project, approved twice in the Chamber of Deputies but pending passing in the Senate. He is also working on amendments to the Solid Waste Law to set a deadline for the elimination of single-use plastics and foam. He also wants to continue working on the Chamber of Deputies-Senate committee that is studying the implementation of the Territorial Reorganization Law and other bills of importance for the country.
In the interview with Listin Diario, he spoke of drafting a bill for more oversight and political control of the National Congress, and favors a Congress with less members than the present 190 in the Chamber of Deputies alone. He has a proposal for better structures in Congress, and would like to see more specialist technical advisors who can instruct legislators on difficult issues for better laws.
He also calls for eliminating exemptions for the legislators and the social assistance fund that he says denaturalizes the legislative post and puts incumbents at a major advantage to those who aspire to a seat for the first time.
He also wants to pass a debate bill so that no one is excluded when national debates are held. This refers to the ANJE presidential debates that are only featuring candidates for parties that reached 5% of the vote in the past election.
“I have learned a lot”, he told Listin Diario. “You wear out, you make enemies and disperse yourself, and you achieve little. I learned along the way that the important thing is to concentrate on some projects if we want to achieve results and choose your fights,” he says.
He said he does not regret raising his voice against National Intelligence Agency Law 1-24. He also opposed a law that gave special powers to the President to decide which farm products can be imported with zero tariffs, “affecting national producers and privileging importers.”
To win the position in 2020, he spent RD$5 million, most of which came from donations. He expects to spend a similar amount, yet acknowledges he needs to dedicate less time and resources to the campaign because he has a track record he can show.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
Law 1-21
11 April 2024