Another year passed in the Buenos Aires legislative session in which the pro-government and opposition MPs and senators of Buenos Aires failed to reach agreements to implement the state policies that citizens demand and need.
However, deputies of both chambers of all political stripes reached complete agreement when it came to voting on large budget expenditures – more than millionaires – earmarked for the Buenos Aires legislature, including the level of daily rates and other cash allocations for them. When this topic was raised, there was soon unanimity.
It should be noted that the provincial MPs and senators have set a spending amount of $308,000 million for 2025. This figure comes from the spending budget voted on by both chambers, which only met sixteen times during the year.
As detailed in the report published in this newspaper on the 11th of the current month, which distributes this global expenditure by the number of plenary sessions held, it is as if each of these sessions cost $19.3 billion, paid for from the taxpayer’s pocket.
Regarding the pace of parliamentary work, it should be noted that in previous periods the provincial legislature met in the districts on average 40 times a year, between March and December, in ordinary and extraordinary sessions held on Thursdays. And as has already been said, the number of plenary sessions in both chambers was less than half.
The “Chocolate” case also did not attract the attention of the legislators, in which this leader was caught withdrawing money from an ATM using about 50 debit cards by “employees” of the legislature.
None of the lawmakers called for an internal commission of inquiry that went beyond judicial action.
There was also no communication from the chamber authorities. In fact, there was an organic examination that revealed no irregularities. Any alternative to transparency has been pushed into the background in the House of Laws, and peace continues to reign in the universe of “Gnocchi”.
In any case, as already mentioned, none of the political blocs in either chamber objected to the cost of such a small operation, at least not in the chamber.
Very important questions remained without legislative treatment. Issues such as the integration of the Supreme Court of Buenos Aires, which currently consists of only three members; Security issues in Buenos Aires criminal procedure law requiring priority changes; The creation of the Clean File or the abolition of the Paso, which are currently suspended, are, among many other issues, part of an essential agenda for the provincial population that the legislators did not consider important.
It remains to be hoped that lawmakers will significantly increase their targets next year. It owes a great debt to the millions of residents who seek a better future every day and rely on taxes to support their food and other income.
Citizens expect legislators to be more willing to work, more transparent, more austere in their spending and to work hard to find the legal instruments necessary for the country’s recovery.
About The Author
