Senator proposes unicameral Congress

Santo Domingo.- Ruling party senator Julio Cesar Valentin on Tuesday made a call to establish an unicameral Congress to provide quality legislative work and save taxpayers’ money and vowed to work hard to achieve it, "though even my grandchildren may not thank me."

Valentin’s (PLD-Santiago) statement comes after weeks of tension between senators and deputies who accuse each other of halting, hindering or “shelving” bills, legislation and other initiatives.

He said his initiatives, including one to regulate presidential pardons, have expired in the Chamber of Deputies."But that doesn’t mean that there’s a policy in that Chamber to expire Senator Valentín’s projects."

He said the bicameral congresses are typical of large countries, such as the United States, other natinos and all of Central America have them.

Citing studies Valentine said 66 percent of democratic nations are unicameral.