Voting session on the main floor of the Venezuelan National Assembly. Photo: RedRadioVE.
The Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) has approved the Law on Supervision, Regularization, Action and Financing of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), following several months of parliamentary discussion.
During the ordinary session of parliament this Thursday, August 15, the Venezuelan deputies of the AN made a final approval of the bill, initially brought about in January 2023. It will now be passed to the Executive Branch, to be signed off by President Nicolás Maduro.
“The Law on Supervision, Regularization, Action and Financing of Non-Governmental Organizations and Non-Profit Social Organizations is hereby declared sanctioned and is sent to the Executive of the Republic for the purposes of its promulgation, in accordance with article 213 of our Constitution,” said the president of the AN, Jorge Rodríguez. “We invite the president of the Internal Policy Commission [Diosdado Cabello] to receive the law that has been passed by our National Assembly.”
Deputy Diosdado Cabello proposed including a ban on NGOs receiving contributions to finance terrorism in the bill, following allegations that there are organizations that receive funds and then sponsor riots and street violence.
The bill establishes that the Ministry of the Interior, Justice, and Peace must establish and maintain a national registry of NGOs and non-profit social organizations, similar to the one created by the US government under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) enacted in 1938, to systematize and update the information related to the constitution, financing, operation and modification of NGOs operating in Venezuelan territory. NGOs and non-profit social organizations must obtain tax registration in compliance with tax legislation.
Venezuela’s Authorities Arrest Far-Right NGOist Rocío San Miguel
This law also establishes non-compliance with these requirements, declared by judicial decision, to be grounds for dissolution of these associations, as well as the non-payment of any fine imposed “in accordance with this law, once the available judicial remedies have been exhausted.”
In addition, according to the text, NGOs must notify the ministry of the funding or donations they receive, in order to ensure the legality of the funds, and must declare “donations received with full identification of the donors, indicating whether they are national or foreign, one-time or to be repeated.”
The objective of this law is to review and monitor NGOs that receive funding, given that in many cases foreign funds are used to attack the Venezuelan people and destabilize its democracy.
Reform for the Promotion and Development of New Enterprises
The draft bill to reform the Law of Promotion and Development of New Enterprises was also approved in the first discussion at the same parliamentary session this Thursday. The project was presented by the second vice president of the AN, América Pérez, and Deputy Luis Eduardo Martínez.
Pérez said that the reform project will go to a large public consultation, to listen to local small-business owners and entrepreneurs. The parliamentarian highlighted that to date, there are 1.5 million entrepreneurs registered in the Emprender Juntos program.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
