Colombia’s senate president sent out a communique to his colleagues warning that a $400 penalty will be placed on senators who do not attend senate sessions, local media reported Monday.
Senate President Jose David Name has decided to fight against increasing absenteeism in Colombia’s senate by demanding the present of senators in session when a vote will be taken.
When a senator does not attend a session, a $400 penalty will be deducted from his or her salary for the following month.
“We need the commitment of all the senators to approve or disapprove more than 150 projects that should and need to be debated on the senate floor. This is what is demanded by regulation, and for this reason I will be taking attendance, because everyone needs to comply,” said Name.
Attendence will now be taken at the beginning and the end of every senate session in which a project will be debated and in which a vote will take place.
An investigation conducted by Caracol News revealed that senators commonly show up in the first minutes of a session, sign in, and then leave. On the day that the Caracol news did their investigation, 83 senators signed in, but the session was ended prematurely because throughout the course of the session many had walked out. Thirty senators were left by the end of the session which did not meet quorum.
Colombian senators are paid roughly $280 a day.
Sources
- Congreso aplicará descuentos para castigar a los ausentistas (La FM)
- Radiografía del ausentismo en el Congreso (Noticias Caracol)