PRM deputies and senators account for the highest number of absences and excuses in Congress

Santo Domingo.– Legislators belonging to the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) and their allies once again account for the highest number of absences and excuses recorded in the National Congress, despite the fact that the internal regulations of both chambers establish attendance at sessions and committee meetings as part of their members’ responsibilities.

The phenomenon occurs in a Congress where the ruling party holds a large majority. The Chamber of Deputies is made up of 190 representatives and the Senate of 32 members, while the PRM and its allies have 146 deputies and 28 senators.

After the ruling party bench, legislators from the People’s Force (FP) and the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) are among those who present absences and excuses.

According to the reviewed records, the absences occurred in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, while both that chamber and the Senate received excuses from legislators who did not participate in certain sessions.

Among the deputies who were absent are Carlos José Gil Rodríguez and Llanelis Matos Cuevas, with six each; Carlos Morillo Valdez, with four; Sergio Moya de la Cruz and Aquiles Ledesma Alcántara, with three each; and Wandy Batista Gómez and Orlando Martínez Peña, with two absences each.

Regulations include sanctions

The Chamber of Deputies Regulations establish mechanisms to act in the face of unjustified absences.

Article 59 provides that cases of deputies with unjustified absences may be referred to the Investigative Commission, the body in charge of conducting the corresponding investigations before the files are reviewed by the Disciplinary Council.

Likewise, article 226 establishes that a deputy who accumulates three absences without legitimate excuses must be reported to the Disciplinary Council.

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Absence from sessions without a valid justification is also among the offenses subject to sanction. The measures provided include the suspension of per diem payments, private reprimand, public censure, and disqualification from representing the Chamber of Deputies in certain national and international events.

Despite these provisions, so far no sanctions have been reported against congressmen for non-compliance related to attendance.

Repeated excuses can also be evaluated

Excuses are not exempt from the disciplinary regime either. The Chamber of Deputies’ regulations provide that, starting from the fourth consecutive excuse, the case may be evaluated by the Disciplinary Council to determine if any measure should be applied.

Similar provisions exist in the Senate. Its regulations establish that prolonged repeated absences accompanied by excuses may lead the Presidency of the Upper House to empower the Permanent Ethics Commission and the Disciplinary Council to verify whether the reasons presented are duly justified.

Regarding the senators who submitted excuses, Félix R. Bautista Rosario leads the list with 11, followed by Héctor E. Acosta Restituyo, with 10; Ginette Altagracia Bournigal, with eight; Bernardo Alemán Rodríguez, with seven; Gustavo Lara Salazar, Franklin M. Romero Morillo, and Antonio Taveras Guzmán, with six each; Rafael Barón Duluc Rijo and Pedro Antonio Tineo Núñez, with five; Santiago José Zorrilla, Cristóbal Venerado Castillo, and Ramón R. Genao Durán, with four; and Pedro M. Catrain Bonilla and Milcíades A. Ortiz Sajiun, with three excuses each.

So far, however, neither legislative body has announced disciplinary actions against congresspeople for this reason.

The situation brings back to the table the fulfillment of the duty of attendance of deputies and senators, especially at times when Congress maintains a legislative agenda that requires the presence of its members to consider and approve different initiatives.