Bill 134.

Summary.

The bill proposes establishing the Board of Trustees of the Chicá International Flower Fair with legal personality, its own assets, and administrative autonomy. Its purpose would be to promote the economic, cultural, and social development of Chame District in Panamá Oeste Province through the production, exhibition, and sale of flowers, medicinal plants, handicrafts, agricultural and agroindustrial products, gastronomy, and sustainable tourism. It would be supervised and guided by the Executive Branch (Órgano Ejecutivo) through the Ministry of Agricultural Development (Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario) and would receive government advice. It would be based in Chicá Township and could open offices elsewhere. It would organize national and international fairs featuring environmental, agricultural, commercial, cultural, educational, and ecotourism activities. The Chicá fair would be held annually in April.

The Board would include representatives of flower growers, artisans, the Chame Municipal Council (Concejo Municipal de Chame), civic and livestock organizations, businesses, journalists, and public entities. Livestock representation would cover Chame and San Carlos in the order set out in the text. The Ministry of Agricultural Development, the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias), the Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura), the Ministry of Environment (Ministerio de Ambiente), and the Panama Tourism Authority (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá) would participate. Each member would have an alternate. Members would be appointed for 2 years, with 1 immediate reappointment; the council member’s term would be set in the internal regulations. The Board would elect its Board of Directors, prepare regulations and a budget for consideration by the Executive Branch, manage assets, hire staff, coordinate support, organize fairs and community services, and publish reports and audited financial statements. Its decisions would require a majority of members.

Its assets would include property acquired or donated, national and local government contributions—including those from the Municipality of Chame—inheritances, bequests, and income from investments, services, and activities, in accordance with the Political Constitution of the Republic and other applicable rules. The bill would exempt its activities and properties from taxes and levies; municipal exemptions would be formalized through agreements with each municipality. It would allow industrial, manufactured, and semimanufactured products intended exclusively for exhibition and sale at the fairgrounds to be imported duty-free. The Board, the competent ministries, and the National Customs Authority (Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas) would establish the procedure. Imported products would comply with the health, customs, plant health, and animal health rules established by the Executive Directorate of Agricultural Quarantine (Dirección Ejecutiva de Cuarentena Agropecuaria). Improvements built by private parties on the Board’s land would become part of its assets, with their use governed by contract. Donations would be deductible from income tax, and participating businesses could deduct certified costs of infrastructure built on the Board’s land.

The Board of Directors would have a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and auditor, elected from among the members for 2 years. Each member could run for only 1 position per term. The president would serve as legal representative, and the vice president would temporarily act in the president’s place. The Board of Directors would direct approved activities, manage resources, establish rules for events, and form committees. The Board of Trustees would appoint an Executive Director by vote for the international and specialized fairs for a maximum of 3 years; the Executive Director would implement approved policies and strategies. Members, directors, and advisers would serve without pay.

The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Contraloría General de la República) would audit state funds and property and could inspect the rest of the Board’s assets at its request. The Board would submit a financial report before the end of each fiscal year and publish it at its office. It would have 60 days from promulgation to submit its internal regulations to the Executive Branch; the proposed law would take effect the day after its promulgation. The bill concerns those public entities as well as flower growers and agricultural producers, artisans, businesses, importers, tourism operators, and communities in Chicá Township.