A state lawmaker, who also leads the state’s public employee union, introduced a bill that, if enacted, would impose penalties to public officials who mishandle fees paid by state or municipal workers for over three months with no excuse.
Assemblywoman Victoria Bentley, a Mexicali member of the National Action Party, proposed the measure to modify the state’s Penal Code to include the violation in the list of abuse of authority crimes.
The bill would increase the penalties set under this crime by half to public officials who without a justified reason retain or delay the payment of public employee social security benefits to the agency in charge during three consecutive months.
The state agency, known as Issstecali, is responsible for public employee healthcare services and pensions.
Bentley said the cities owe the agency 2 billion pesos or $105.2 million which, according to her, are funds deducted from employees’ paychecks but not transferred to the agency.
The lack of payment has caused impact in the quality of service provided and a grave damage to the pension and retirement system.
This week former Mexicali Mayor Francisco Pérez Tejada Padilla was indicted for mishandling hundreds of millions of pesos in employee fees that were allegedly used to cover the city’s deficit between 2010 and 2013.
RadarBC
