An agreement of the Administrative Board of the National Press, endorsed Tuesday by the Governing Council, will allow bills, laws, agreements and executive orders to have the same force on the internet as on paper. Previously, Costa Rica’s laws were not official and enforceable until printed in the paper version of La Gaceta. This decree now allows these documents to become official as soon as they are posted in the digital version of La Gaceta (www.gaceta.go.cr).
The decision was made in conjunction with the board of the Legislature to expedite the processing of bills that had to be published in print to acquire legal validity.
The Congress president, Luis Gerardo Villanueva, said Tuesday afternoon that the new agreement to go digital will save them ¢100 million annually in printing costs.
This agreement starts immediately and the first bill that will be valid is the tax reform plan sent to the Executive Assembly last Monday.