MAP issues resolution to limit number of advisors in public institutions

Santo Domingo.- The Ministry of Public Administration (MAP) has issued resolution no. 184-2024, which limits the number of advisors that Executive Branch institutions can appoint within their organizational structure. The maximum number of advisors allowed is now equivalent to the number of vice ministries, general or national subdirectorates, mayors, subadministrations, or their equivalents within each institution.

The resolution, signed by Minister Darío Castillo Lugo, is binding and mandatory for all administrative entities and bodies under the Executive Branch, specifically the Central Public Administration. However, it exempts advisors appointed by the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministries of the Presidency (MINPRE) and Administrative of the Presidency (MAPRE), the Vice Presidency, the Ministry of Defense (MIDE), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX). These exemptions are within the framework of rationality and compliance with the current legal system regarding public function and budget.

The MAP, as the overseer of public employment, may approve exceptions to this limit in particular and exceptional cases. Such approvals will be granted if the requesting entity justifies the necessity of additional advisors to fulfill its institutional duties, powers, plans, and programs, as detailed in a press release on the MAP’s website.

Furthermore, entities and bodies are required to submit proposals for modifying their organizational structure, including the number of advisors, their reporting officials, and the applicable salary scale, to the MAP by June 30, 2024. This is to prepare the preliminary budget projects for 2025.

Institutions that wish to retain advisors beyond the established limits after December 31, 2024, must relocate them to vacant or necessary positions with specific substantive or transversal functions, in accordance with article 1 of Law no. 41-08 on Public Function. Advisors who are not relocated by the end of 2024 must be removed from the payroll, receiving their vacation and 13th-month salary benefits proportionally.

The General Budget Directorate (DIGEPRES) will validate advisory positions for the 2025 General State Budget project only if they comply with the resolution and have MAP’s approval. Similarly, the Comptroller General of the Republic will approve payments for advisors starting January 1, 2025, only if they meet these requirements and are included in the 2025 budget. All Executive Branch entities must ensure compliance with these provisions by December 31, 2024.

These measures align with law no. 1-12 of the National Development Strategy, law no. 247-12 on Public Administration, law no. 41-08 on Public Function, and law no. 423-06 on the Organic Budget for the Public Sector. They are also part of the Reform and Modernization of Public Administration (Reformap), approved by decree 149-21, which aims to enhance the rationality and efficiency of the Executive Branch’s administrative bodies.