Legislation

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.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, does not support House Bill 519. Passage of House Bill 519 would violate the constitutional right to bail and the prohibition against excessive bail, would severely limit judicial discretion, and would have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable populations.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, opposed Senate Bill 1 because its implementation poses serious dangers and invites rights violations and discrimination. Measures intended to guarantee the exercise of the right to religious freedom are justifiable insofar as they ensure that the government does not interfere with the freedom to act according to one’s beliefs. However, they cease to be justifiable when their application and unlimited scope allow such exemptions to be used as a pretext for discriminatory practices and the possible denial of basic services and access to justice, in violation of civil rights and liberties.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the defense of civil, human, and constitutional rights, supports Joint Resolution of the Senate 497, which seeks to prohibit the Municipality of Vieques, the Department of Housing, and other public entities from selling or otherwise disposing of real property in Vieques, as well as to identify mechanisms to stop the displacement of the Vieques community — including the creation of a land trust. The ACLU grounds its position in the human right to housing and in the history of dispossession and abandonment that Vieques has suffered, first at the hands of the United States Navy and later through real estate speculation encouraged by laws such as Act 22 and Act 60; for this reason, it supports measures such as a land trust that guarantees that the land remains in Viequense hands, using the community of Monte Carmelo as a flagship project, and affirms that JRS 497 provides real alternatives for Viequense families to preserve their land and access a safe and dignified home. Status: https://sutra.oslpr.org/medidas/147849