With a large volume of measures to address, both the local Senate and the House of Representatives approved a package of bills responding to demands from various sectors of society at the close of the June session.
Because this was the final work of this legislative session before the general elections on Nov. 5, we have put together a summary of the measures most likely to be relevant to you.
1. Hair discrimination ban approved
Employees with curly hair or racialized hairstyles will have stronger workplace protections following the House of Representatives' approval of Proyecto del Senado 1282, which, if signed by the governor, would establish the Ley Contra El Discrimen Por Razón de Estilos de Cabello.
With 44 votes in favor, two against and one abstention, the bill filed by senators Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl and Ana Irma Rivera Lassén will amend existing anti-discrimination regulations covering employment, housing and education, as well as the receipt of both public and private services.
2. Legislation targets sexual harassment in sports
Every sports entity that receives public funds or uses public facilities, as well as the Departamento de Recreación y Deportes (DRD), will be subject to new provisions aimed at protecting against sexual harassment and abuse following the approval of Proyecto del Senado 1194.
Under the Ley para la Prevención y Protección Contra el Acoso y Hostigamiento Sexual en el Deporte en Puerto Rico, the DRD must refrain from hiring prospective employees with criminal records for sexual offenses or who appear in the sex offender registry. Sports organizations will also be required to establish anti-harassment protocols in line with standards for a safe environment.
3. Police pension payments increased
With approval by 23 votes in favor, Proyecto de la Cámara 2190 seeks to secure the financial resources of the Fideicomiso para el Retiro de la Policía through an amendment to the Ley de Máquinas de Juegos de Azar of 1933.
The measure, whose regulations are still under discussion, will direct 55 percent of revenue generated by slot machines toward police retirement, so that officers can receive at minimum 50 percent of the salary they were earning at the time of their retirement.
4. Permit processes amended
Following approval of Proyecto de la Cámara 2061, the aim is to speed up the issuance of home-use permits, which allow business owners to use up to 25 percent of their residential location as business space, within a period of 24 hours or less.
5. Online protections for minors approved
Introduced by representative José "Quiquito" Meléndez Ortiz, Proyecto de la Cámara 262 builds on and expands federal guidelines to establish the Ley para la Protección de la Privacidad Cibernética de los Niños y Jóvenes, which would limit the disclosure of minors' personal data by users or operators of websites without the consent of their parents or guardians.
The measure, which has the support of the Departamento de la Familia and the Servicio de Innovación y Tecnología de Puerto Rico (PRITS), also prohibits the storage or sale of personal data related to minors by social networks.
6. Budget approved for the next fiscal year
The final budget of the four-year term was approved with increases to the funds available to municipal administrations, an allocation of $15 million to strengthen regional housekeeping programs and an allocation of $102 million for the operation of the Universidad de Puerto Rico, among which $18.8 million is designated for the rehabilitation of the Río Piedras lodging facility Torre Norte.
7. Public school maintenance decentralized
With the creation of the Ley para la Municipalización y el Mantenimiento Óptimo de los Planteles de Educación Pública, the legislature formalized the transfer of public school maintenance duties to municipal administrations, for those that voluntarily choose to take them on.
House Bill 823, through the transfer of ownership of facilities and their grounds, also relieves the Department of Education (DEPR) of its responsibility to maintain unused school buildings.
For schools that are in operation, all education-related positions, including roles such as nurses, social workers and psychologists, remain under the DEPR.
8. Bonus approved for retired teachers
Before the session closed, the Senate approved House Bill 1988, which grants a $600 Christmas bonus to retired teachers and recipients of the Sistema de Retiro para Maestros.
The benefit is intended to provide financial support to retired educators, particularly those who currently receive a bonus of only $200 a year or no bonus at all. The estimated annual fiscal impact of this allocation is $20,152,800.
When does the new legislature begin?
Two regular sessions are held each year in the Puerto Rico Legislature. The first begins on the second Monday of January and ends June 30.
The second session begins on the third Monday of August and ends on the Tuesday before the third month of November. In an election year, however, the second session is not held.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
