Ever wonder what Costa Rican lawmakers actually accomplish? Here’s a look at the first six months of the current Legislative Assembly, a data analysis project aimed at promoting public access to information, brought to you by Ojo al Voto.
Ojo al Voto has published a series of studies, data illustrations and informative articles aimed at educating voters and providing access to public information. Check out their work (in Spanish) here.
One of every two bills approved by the current Legislative Assembly is related to municipal permits or local resolutions. The 35 bills approved in second debate in the first six months of the current Assembly prioritize discussions about property for communities in the provinces of the Great Metropolitan Area.
These conclusions are the product of a study conducted by Ojo al Voto of the first six months of work by the current Legislative Assembly, which took office on May 1, 2014. The information is based on data from the Department of Legislative Services and shows that only 14 of the 35 bills approved through Oct. 13 are related to substantive legislation, which directly impacts the human development of Costa Ricans.
Bills such as the “Law to authorize the State to modify the nature of the cemetery located in Tirrases de Curridabat to create a park” dominate the working agenda approved by the Assembly for the Plenary and Full Commissions.
Despite this, there are 14 bills that could be considered substantive legislation, including the approval of an amendment to the Development Bank Law and a positive vote in second debate on the use of electronic tracking devices for criminals, among others.
The data published by Ojo al Voto use the State of the Nation methodology, which classifies the laws approved by the Legislative Assembly according to their impact on the country. This methodology establishes several categories (including substantive, secondary and others) and was used to conduct the study.
This analysis does not include any of the draft bills approved in first debate or suspended for consultation, such as the constitutional amendment to establish the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural character of Costa Rica.
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