The President of the House of Representatives agrees to approve the “Law for a Dignified Retirement”

On the first day as president of House of Representatives, Rafael “Tatito” Hernández Montañez, announced that among its first steps will be the repeal of the Electoral Code and labor reform, as well as the approval of Bill 120, which will give rise to the “Law for a Dignified Retirement” as a mechanism to protect the pensions of government employees.

“We will approve it and, if it is vetoed and if the board does not deal with it, we will defend it in court or in the necessary forums”, said the chamber president referring to the extent of the representative’s authorship The new progressive party (PNP), Lourdes bouquets.

Yesterday, Sunday, about 18 workers’ organizations called for the measure to be approved before Feb. 10, by which time the government must have handed federal judge Laura Taylor Swain an agreement with creditors or an adjustment plan to review the public debt, which would includes reductions in the pensions of public employees.

House Bill 120, co-author of the representative Puerto Rico Independence Party (PIP), Denis Márques, revives a measure that remained in the Legislature last year.

Equally, Hernández Montañez signed his first executive order declaring a fiscal budget urgency in the Legislative Assembly to make the necessary adjustments. These adjustments include the elimination of duplication of expenditure and functions in the Superintendency and Joint Committees.

“We have three joint commissions, the Superintendency and the Chamber. In each of these entities there is a director of finance and there is a director of procurement and human resources … all those directors have a rate of 5,000 and 6,000 dollars, of which five are 25,000 dollars “, argued Hernández Montañez.

However, he warned that they will ensure that similar adjustment measures are taken at the executive level. “If we do it at home, we will make sure that the central government adapts to the financial reality of the people of Puerto Rico,” he warned.

Hernández also signed a second administrative order to ensure the continued disclosure of public information as a measure to prevent government corruption and conflicts of interest. “That the people of Puerto Rico have full and immediate access to documents and information that prove the functioning and functioning of this legislature,” he stressed.

A third administrative order, in turn, seeks to establish guidelines for the register of lobbyists. “People want to know who they are, what they are looking for, who contributes and who they represent. Anyone has a legitimate goal to talk to any of our 51 representatives who do it in front of people, “he said.

Hernández Montañez said that, in addition, a resolution has already been submitted to investigate the Luma Energy contract.