NewsWhore
10-14-2011, 03:30 PM
The Legislative Branch that will decide on the budget sent from the Executive Branch is flush with cash in the 2012 National Budget. The Legislative Branch has 3,983 employees and spends RD$73.81 million a month on the payroll, or a total of RD$959.53 million, and RD$4.38 million on other matters. The Chamber of Deputies has 1,612 employees of whom only 183 are deputies, and spends RD$34.43 million on this payroll. The Senate has 2,371 employees, of whom 32 are senators and spends RD$39.4 million on its payroll.
Local press quoted Marino Collante, president of the Chamber of Deputies Hacienda Commission that received the budget for an opinion, as saying that it would be very difficult to modify the budget as received from the Executive Branch. Deputy Collante (Santiago n PRSC) said that sending the budget to commission was just a formality. He said they would not make changes to the budget because a majority of 122 votes would be needed to modify it. The Chamber of Deputies has 99 PLD deputies and allies, 75 PRD and 9 PRSC.
Earlier this week, the National Business Council (Conep) observed the need for this majority. Responding to the business group, Collante said: "If they want to modify the budget, they should run for deputies so they can exercise that role," he said, as reported in El Caribe.
Earlier, the Senate passed it exactly as received from the Executive Branch.
In addition to the judiciary, several sectors, included educational sectors, visited Congress to seek increases in their budget allocations.
One of the sectors seeking increases is the Judicial Branch that covers court sessions every day nationwide, but the budget assigned for 2012 is much less than that the National Congress will receive, as reported in El Dia. In the 2012 budget, the judiciary is assigned RD$3.66 billion compared to RD$5.44 billion for the Legislative Branch. The Chamber of Deputies alone will receive RD$3.66 billion, and the Senate US$1.73 billion. The Judiciary had called for the 2.66% increase, allocated in Law 194-2004, but only half of this increase was incorporated in the budget bill. 45% of judicial officials, or 2,815, receive gross wages under RD$10,000 a month. 23% (1,452) receive wages of RD$10,000-RD$15,000. The Judicial Branch has 645 judges nationwide. The state prosecution was assigned RD$2.6 billion, almost the same as last year.
The Executive Branch is the main beneficiary of the budget allocations.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)
Local press quoted Marino Collante, president of the Chamber of Deputies Hacienda Commission that received the budget for an opinion, as saying that it would be very difficult to modify the budget as received from the Executive Branch. Deputy Collante (Santiago n PRSC) said that sending the budget to commission was just a formality. He said they would not make changes to the budget because a majority of 122 votes would be needed to modify it. The Chamber of Deputies has 99 PLD deputies and allies, 75 PRD and 9 PRSC.
Earlier this week, the National Business Council (Conep) observed the need for this majority. Responding to the business group, Collante said: "If they want to modify the budget, they should run for deputies so they can exercise that role," he said, as reported in El Caribe.
Earlier, the Senate passed it exactly as received from the Executive Branch.
In addition to the judiciary, several sectors, included educational sectors, visited Congress to seek increases in their budget allocations.
One of the sectors seeking increases is the Judicial Branch that covers court sessions every day nationwide, but the budget assigned for 2012 is much less than that the National Congress will receive, as reported in El Dia. In the 2012 budget, the judiciary is assigned RD$3.66 billion compared to RD$5.44 billion for the Legislative Branch. The Chamber of Deputies alone will receive RD$3.66 billion, and the Senate US$1.73 billion. The Judiciary had called for the 2.66% increase, allocated in Law 194-2004, but only half of this increase was incorporated in the budget bill. 45% of judicial officials, or 2,815, receive gross wages under RD$10,000 a month. 23% (1,452) receive wages of RD$10,000-RD$15,000. The Judicial Branch has 645 judges nationwide. The state prosecution was assigned RD$2.6 billion, almost the same as last year.
The Executive Branch is the main beneficiary of the budget allocations.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)