House passes package of bills including pawnshop, elder protections and veterinary licensing measures

The Puerto Rico House of Representatives approved a package of measures on Jan. 19, recording the passage of multiple bills during a final vote period.

Clerk-read results listed the following outcomes (as recorded on the floor): House Project 373 (second report) — 44 votes in favor; House Project 931 — 44 votes in favor; House Project 1009 (discharged) — 44 votes in favor; Senate Project 110 (reconsidered) — 44 votes in favor; and Senate Project 881 (discharged) — 44 votes in favor and 0 against. Leadership stated that, with these results, all measures on the calendar were approved.

Brief descriptions (as read and discussed on the floor):
- House Project 373: Proposed amendments to Law 23-2011 governing pawnshop operations and contract term language; in-room textual edits were read and approved for consideration.
- House Project 931: Amendments aimed at clarifying protections and recognizing companion animals in statutes related to older adults; the sponsor noted pets’ role in households and the measure received in-room amendments.
- House Project 1009: A measure to designate an awareness day encouraging expressions of love to parents (referred in debate as the “Papi y mami, los amo con toda mi vida” awareness day); sponsor Robles Rivera framed it as a nonpolitical initiative.
- Senate Project 110: Reconsidered with extensive textual amendments to Law 194 (Aug. 4, 1979) affecting authorization and accreditation standards for veterinary technician and technologist programs.
- Senate Project 881: Discharged and considered with in-room amendments; this measure included provisions that became the subject of extended debate regarding removal of security escorts from convicted officials.

The clerk also recorded that the House approved previous minutes, noted excused absences, and recessed until a special session on Jan. 27, 2026.

The transcript records the vote tallies as announced on the floor; the session record does not list individual roll-call votes for each named member in the excerpt.