House of Representatives marks 125th anniversary; leaders criticize fiscal oversight board

The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico held a special session to mark the chamber's 125th anniversary, drawing government officials, visiting legislators from Latin America, former legislators and the governor.

Carlos Johnny Méndez Núñez, president of the House of Representatives, opened the commemorations by tracing the chamber’s institutional history from the original 1900 Foraker Act through the Jones Act of 1917 and the adoption of Puerto Rico’s Constitution in 1952. “Nadie más tiene ese poder constitucional,” Méndez said while describing the constitutionally defined roles of the legislature and the governor, arguing that the chamber remains central to democratic debate.

Speakers from across the political spectrum delivered tributes and reflected on the body’s role. Burgos Muñiz, spokesperson for Proyecto Dignidad, framed the chamber as a forum for defending life and family and recounted the institution’s evolution since 1900. The spokesperson for the Puerto Rican Independence party, Márquez Lebron, recounted historical struggles and urged political action toward decolonization. Ferrer Santillán, spokesperson for the Popular Democratic Party delegation, highlighted the chamber’s legislative achievements in social policy and called for updated social-justice measures.

Several speakers criticized the federal fiscal oversight board created under the 2016 PROMESA law. In his remarks, Méndez described the oversight board’s powers to review financial plans and noted that those powers have overridden some constitutional practices: “La cámara de representantes ha luchado contra esas tachaduras a nuestra constitución,” he said. The statement echoed other speakers’ characterizations of the board as an external imposition that limits local fiscal autonomy.

The session included formal acknowledgements of the governor, Jennifer González Colón, who attended and later addressed the chamber. Tomás Rivera Schatz, president of the Senate, also spoke from the visitors’ bench and reiterated the day’s historical reflections while pressing for tax and regulatory reforms and institutional cooperation.

The day’s program followed ceremonial elements: an invocation by Pastor Josué Carrillo, musical performances by the Puerto Rico concert band directed by Ángel "Cuco" Peña, and formal recognition of visiting legislative delegations from the Caribbean and Latin America (FOPREL), mayors and former legislative leaders. Legislators announced a public unveiling of a commemorative plaque in the Capitol rotunda at the close of the event.

The House authorized entry of photographers and camera crews for the ceremony with instructions that no interviews with legislators or visitors would take place in the hemicycle; an escort was designated to accompany the governor into the chamber. The special session concluded with final acknowledgements and a recess to the rotunda for the plaque unveiling.