Spanish
Santo Domingo. - The Senate of the Republic approved in two consecutive readings and declared as urgent, the bill that provides for the merger of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development and establishes the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
The vice president of the Special Commission in charge of analyzing this initiative, Moisés Ayala, presented a report on this piece to the Senate plenary.
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Immediately, the President of the Senate, Ricardo de los Santos, proposed that it be included in the Agenda and declared urgent, being accepted with a vote of 19 out of 22 senators present in the session.
This legislative proposal, presented by the Executive Branch, aims to merge the ministries of Finance and Economy, Planning and Development, to ensure the proper articulation between public finances and the planning and investment system, in order to guarantee the sustainability and development of the country, in line with the principles of efficiency, effectiveness and good administration. The project proposes to articulate in one ministry, the functions of planning and public finances of the aforementioned entities.
The main axes, as highlighted by the initiative, are to strengthen fiscal sustainability in the short, medium, and long term, optimize public investment and rationalize spending; simplify structures by suppressing the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD), and transfer to the Ministry of the Presidency the functions of international cooperation, territorial planning, and management of non-profit associations.
The piece also highlights the most notable aspects of the initiative, citing the following: regarding the institutional merger, the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD) is abolished and its functions become part of the Ministry of Finance; and the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MHE) is created, the governing body of public finances, planning.
In first reading
The plenary approved in first reading the project that designates with the name of Fernando Antonio Arturo de Meriño Ramírez, the road section from Hermanas Mirabal Avenue, Santo Domingo Norte municipality, Santo Domingo province, to Yamasá municipality, Monte Plata province, proposed by Senator Pedro Tineo Núñez.
In second reading
In a second reading, the senators sanctioned the project that declares the province of Monseñor Nouel as an Ecotourism province, presented by Senator Héctor Acosta.
This project aims to promote the ecotourism development of the province and enhance its exploitation, for the benefit of its inhabitants.
In the session, the Organic Law project of the Superior Electoral Tribunal, proposed by senators Félix Bautista and Pedro Catrain, was also approved.
This initiative aims to regulate the functioning of the Superior Electoral Tribunal, define its institutional category and guarantee its independence and autonomy, establish the requirements for its members and their incompatibility regime, establish the general rules regarding the electoral contentious procedure and decision-making by the Tribunal and enshrine the electoral contentious powers of the Electoral Boards.
