Legislation

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, opposes House Bill 166 because it institutionalizes discrimination against transgender people, especially transgender women. Rather than protecting anyone, this bill has the effect of punishing, excluding, and stripping people of rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, warns that House Bill 139, as written, allows for an expansion of the powers of municipal police forces without clear safeguards and adequate coordination of oversight mechanisms. One of the dangers is that it would broaden the delegation of duties that properly belong to federal authorities, including the enforcement of current immigration policies.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, supports the passage of Senate Bill 628, which represents a historic opportunity to correct decades of legal ambiguity and effectively protect our coastlines. It is a measure aligned with the constitutional mandate, science, and the collective well-being.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, opposed Senate Bill 297, whose stated purpose was to create a protocol for pregnancy terminations involving minors age 15 or younger, because it adds requirements that could create barriers and risks for minors in situations of violence or urgency.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, supports Senate Bill 124, which seeks to establish the “Bill of Rights of Migrant Persons.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, supports Senate Bill 125, which seeks to amend the Puerto Rico Electoral Code of 2020 to extend voting rights to foreign nationals domiciled in Puerto Rico.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, recommended amendments to House Bill 406, which sought to create the “Puerto Rico Police Act” in order to separate the police force from the Department of Public Safety (DSP, by its Spanish acronym). The ACLU of Puerto Rico warned that, without the amendment, the bill would empower the Governor to pre-approve the appointments of officers holding the ranks of Inspector, Commander, Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel in the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, altering the distribution of power and undermining the Police Reform. Allowing the Chief Executive to directly influence the police chain of command, an institution that exercises coercive power over the public, opens the door to the misuse of police power.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, opposed Senate Bill 350 because of its direct impact on access to gender-affirming care for trans people, particularly trans youth and trans children, as well as on the rights of families and minors. The measure bans gender-affirming medical treatments for people under 21 years of age.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, recommended amendments to Senate Bill 61, which proposed changes to expand the hiring of incarcerated people, due to the need for oversight to ensure safeguards against exploitation and fair working conditions.