Charlie Mariotti Jr. submits bill to create a Single Command System for climate emergencies

The project contemplates the suspension of non-essential work during the issuance of a red alert

Santo Domingo. — Deputy Charlie Mariotti Jr. submitted to the Chamber of Deputies a bill that seeks to create the Single Command System for Climate Emergencies and Disasters (SMU-ECD), an initiative supported by more than 40 legislators from eight political parties and aimed at strengthening institutional coordination, early warnings, and the State's response capacity to atmospheric phenomena. The proposal establishes the Emergency Operations Center (COE), under the direction of the President of the Republic, as the sole authority empowered to issue a “Binding Climate Emergency Declaration” (DECV), with immediate and mandatory effects for public institutions, the private sector, and citizens. The project contemplates three alert levels: green, yellow, and red, the latter with automatic activation of extraordinary measures in the affected areas. Among the provisions included is the automatic suspension of non-essential work during red alerts, without prior authorization from the Ministry of Labor, as well as the suspension of judicial and administrative deadlines. It also guarantees that hours or days not worked due to a climate emergency cannot be deducted from workers' salaries or charged to vacations or permits.

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The initiative also establishes the obligation of the COE's general director to issue official updates at least once per hour during yellow or red alerts, indicating the meteorological sources used, especially reports from the Dominican Institute of Meteorology (Indomet). All official communications must be disseminated exclusively through authorized channels, including the COE portal, mass messages via telephone coordinated by INDOTEL, and mandatory broadcasts in the media. The initiative also contemplates sanctions for employers or officials who demand the physical presence of non-essential personnel during a declared emergency, as well as for telecommunications operators or media outlets that fail to comply with official communication provisions. As explained by Mariotti Jr., the legislative piece seeks to avoid misinformation and the dispersion of criteria that usually occur during atmospheric phenomena, through a unified command system that allows for rapid and coordinated responses before, during, and after an emergency.