It was the last of the eight debates to reduce vacations, and there was no quorum because the congressmen are already on vacation, and many did not attend either in person or virtually.
Colombia News.
The Congress of the Republic is required to Through Law 5 of Congress and the Secretary of the House, it is published who were the legislators on vacation that led to the lack of a quorum in the eighth and last debate to approve the bill that sought to reduce “unjustified vacations.” of the congressmen in Colombia.
Yes, because they are already on vacation, the project to reduce vacations could not be approved.
“It is a fatal message for citizens,” criticized Senator Gabriel Santos.
Many take advantage of this new ‘false step’ to ask that in the next elections they vote for senators and representatives who are willing to self-regulate.
They knew that this Thursday, December 16, would be the key day for that vote and to bring that bill afloat, not to sink like so many others who have sought to regulate salaries, other benefits for congressmen.
That is, they were summoned, regardless of the vacation period that legally began.
The holidays
The period of recesses of Congress in Colombia is embodied in the Political Constitution.
- Article 138 of the Constitution that reads: “Congress, by its own right, will meet in ordinary sessions, for two periods per year, which will constitute a single legislature. The first session will begin on July 20 and end on December 16; the second on March 16 and will conclude on June 20 ».
It means that the ‘holidays’ at the end of the year and the new year, is more than three months.
Many senators and representatives to the Chamber respond that from the period between January and March, they travel the country, meet with the people in the territories and work on new bills, that is, they do not take all that on vacation.
However, citizens ask Congress to reduce congressional vacations, it is the only one that can constitutionally do so.
In other words, that recess period is reduced.
In 2021 this reduction is not approved either, the project was sunk and although it can be presented again, it will have to go through the entire debate route again.
The proposal this year was for the first session to begin on July 20 and end on December 16, and the second period, from January 16 to June 20.
That was not approved due to lack of a decision quorum.
For this, a minimum number of congressmen was required who must be present when voting on a project, but only 48 votes were registered, all in favor.
This Thursday, other projects such as the National System of Agricultural Inputs, the bill that creates the special unit to investigate sexual crimes against children and adolescents; and several others went to a second debate in the Senate.
Today is a dark day for Congress. The Senate Plenary disintegrated the quorum just as we were going to debate our bill to reduce the vacations of Congressmen, leaving us without time to give the last debate. In 30 seconds the work of a year is finished. pic.twitter.com/SwwjRRkFal
– Gabriel Santos G. (@GabrielSantosCD) December 16, 2021
