House committee approves three pension and labor measures, adopts amendment expanding stated beneficiaries

A committee of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives approved three labor and pension-related measures on May 29, 2024, and adopted an amendment clarifying who would benefit from one bill.

At a public final-consideration session of the Comisión de Asuntos Laborales y Transformación del Sistema de Pensiones para un Retiro Digno, the committee approved Proyecto de la Cámara 2038, whose stated purpose is to protect the purchasing power of pensions for retired public employees, public corporations and municipalities and to secure financing sources for that protection. Committee staff announced the final vote on PC 2038 as nine in favor, zero against, zero abstentions; the chair declared the measure approved.

The committee also approved Proyecto de la Cámara 271, described in committee as a bill to provide reasonable retirement adjustments for firefighters and to amend subsections and articles of Law No. 447 (May 15, 1951). The committee announced the final tally on PC 271 as eight in favor, zero against, one abstention; one member (Lizzy Burgos Muñiz) stated she abstained on PC 271 while voting in favor of the other measures.

Finally, the committee approved the substitute to Proyecto de la Cámara 2116 and Proyecto del Senado 492, a measure to establish a special law setting the base salary for departmental guards (vigilantes) at $2,600 monthly and to preserve prior intermediate step increases earned before the statute’s approval; the committee reported a 9–0–0 vote for that substitute.

An amendment submitted by Representative Denis Márquez LeBron and read into the record by licenciado Alberto Morales was adopted and made part of Proyecto 2038. As read by Morales, the added paragraph states: “Esta medida inicialmente beneficia directamente a unos ciento sesenta mil (160,000) empleados públicos jubilados y pensionados. Además, a partir de su aprobación beneficiará a aquellos nuevos jubilados y pensionados bajo las diversas modalidades de retiro, tales como la híbrida. Esto es así porque el artículo tres, sección b de la ley aplicará a aquellas porciones de la pensión de estos que provenga del fondo general del gobierno a través del mecanismo del pay-as-you-go, no así la porción que provenga de las cuentas de ahorro individuales.” The committee answered there were no objections and the amendment was entered into the bill.

The chair invoked Section 12.21 of the House rules to hold the public final-consideration session and instructed committee staff to prepare the certification of the session and to draft the final texts and positive reports required by the House’s rules for referral to the full chamber.

Votes at a glance: Proyecto de la Cámara 2038 — approved 9–0–0; Proyecto de la Cámara 271 — approved 8–0–1 (one abstention recorded); Substitute to Proyecto de la Cámara 2116 / Proyecto del Senado 492 — approved 9–0–0.

Antonio Aquino Rivera, identified for the record as committee staff, confirmed electronic circulation of amendments on May 27, 2024, and the committee adjourned at about 2:00 p.m.