Senate approves first reading of Contentious Administrative Jurisdiction Bill

Santo Domingo.- The Senate of the Dominican Republic approved in first reading a bill on Contentious Administrative Jurisdiction, sponsored by Senate president Ricardo de los Santos Polanco, aimed at strengthening judicial protection for citizens in their dealings with the Public Administration.

The proposed legislation seeks to ensure that government acts, actions, conduct or omissions comply with the country’s legal framework, while establishing rules for the organization and operation of courts responsible for administrative litigation and the procedures governing these cases.

The bill establishes that administrative litigation will be governed primarily by the principles of administrative law. Civil procedural rules could be applied only on a supplementary and exceptional basis when compatible with the nature of administrative proceedings and when administrative law principles are insufficient to resolve a matter.

It also grants the Administrative Litigation Jurisdiction authority to review all forms of administrative activity or inactivity, without excluding any government action or omission from judicial oversight.

The proposal further recognizes every person’s right to access these courts to effectively defend their rights and interests, including collective and diffuse rights.