Representative Luis Henrique Duke Walker of Circuit 8-2 introduced Draft Bill No. 309 on January 8, 2026 — converted into Bill 504 — with the co-authorship of Representatives Lenín Alberto Ulate Rodríguez, Miguel Ángel Campos Lima, Augusto Efraín Palacios Muñoz, and Betserai Richards Tapia. The Finance and Economy Commission, chaired by Representative Eduardo A. Gaitán, adopted the bill on January 27, 2026. The First Debate was approved on April 8, 2026, and the bill has been pending Second Debate since April 15.

The bill's central purpose is the creation of a Digital Public Registry of natural and legal persons convicted by final and enforceable judgment for offenses against the public administration, as classified in Title X of Book II of the Penal Code. Also included are those who have been administratively sanctioned by the National Transparency Authority (ANTAI), the Tribunal of Accounts, or the Comptroller General for nepotism, conflicts of interest, misuse of public property, or other conduct undermining probity. ANTAI will administer the registry with technological support from the National Authority for Government Innovation.

The bill's explanatory memorandum notes that Panama scored 33 out of 100 on Transparency International's 2024 index, ranking 114th out of 180 countries — a two-point drop from 2023. The bill states that 56% of respondents in that report considered corruption to have increased over the previous twelve months. The initiative amends three articles of Law 22 of 2006 on Public Procurement: Article 18 adds a numeral 11 imposing fines of up to 30% of gross monthly salary on any civil servant who fails to consult the registry; Article 21 establishes prior consultation as a binding obligation for contracting entities; and Article 24 adds persons listed in the registry to the categories of those legally disqualified from contracting with the state.

Article 9 sets data retention periods: for final criminal convictions, records remain published for a period equal to the main sentence served; for ordinary administrative sanctions, a minimum of ten years from the effective date; and for most serious sanctions entailing prolonged disqualification, up to ten years. Courts and sanctioning authorities will have ten business days to transmit information to ANTAI. Article 11 allows the free and immediate generation of a digital verification certificate with legal validity.

The bill must still clear Second and Third Debate before being sent to the Executive. Its progress coincides with regional discussions on preventive transparency mechanisms: the initiative draws on Panama's existing Sex Offender Registry as a precedent. Critics have pointed out that the registry's effectiveness will depend on the speed with which the Judiciary, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Comptroller General update the data, and that ANTAI will need sufficient budget appropriations to implement and maintain the platform — a cost that Article 19 assigns to its ordinary budget.