Americas Quarterly

Salvadoran federal deputy David Reyes is making a name for himself as a bipartisan legislator.

The common thread among these
initiatives is that they each received
broad-based support across party
lines—no small feat in one of the
hemisphere’s most divided political
systems. “By focusing on universally
important issues, we have learned
to come together to get things done,”
says Reyes. Confined to a wheelchair
since birth, Reyes has also pioneered

In the notoriously polarized and often corrupt world of Salva- doran politics, federal deputy David Reyes stands out for his commitment to bipartisan governance. Elected in March 2009 to the National Assembly, Reyes, 30, of the conservative Alianza Republicana Na-cionalista (ARENA) party, has cospon-sored a series of bills targeting youth unemployment, greater government transparency and services for Salvadorans with disabilities.

( Transparency Law), which mandates
the creation of a new transparency
bureau charged with investigating
corruption throughout the federal bu-
reaucracy. The bill, which passed in
March 2011, has become a hallmark of
the current legislative session.

Reyes’ next project is the Ley de Primer Empleo (First Job Law). The bill, introduced in May 2011, seeks to address the root causes of El Salvador’s chronically high youth unemployment rate by creating new vocational training programs and reducing red tape for businesses that wish to employ young workers as interns and apprentices. According to Reyes, helping youth find jobs is an urgent national imperative. “Young men and women who drop out of school or who cannot find jobs after completing a degree are more susceptible to the temptations

47 legal statutes that provide guarantees of education, health, building access, and employment for the 60,000 Salvadorans who have physical or mental disabilities. “Gro wing up in a caring household, where I was never treated differently than my siblings, helped me learn how to persevere despite my physical obstacles,” he says.