Senators defend the "little barrel"

[NewsWhore]

The president of the Senate of the Dominican Republic, Reinaldo Pared Perez as well as opposition leaders, defended what they call the "little barrel", that is to say those financial resources given to the legislators in order to carry out "social work" in their districts. According to Pared Perez, the elimination of the NGOs sponsored by the different legislators forced the Congress to find some sort of mechanism to channel funds that would allow the legislators to assist their voting public. The similarity of the phrase "little barrel" and the much-used phrase "pork barrel" used in United States political circles is obvious. However, according to the Senate leader, the money is placed in public accounts of the National Treasury and each senator has to present expenditures with appropriate documentation. To the contrary, the following month's "barrel funding" would be halted. According to the Listin Diario, each deputy receives a flat amount of RD$75,000 to spend in the electoral district. Senators receive varying amounts depending on the size and population of the province they serve. The amounts vary from RD$400,000 to one million per month.

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