House approves $13.95 billion FY2026 budget, bans sale of some energy drinks to minors and clears broad package of measures

The Puerto Rico House of Representatives approved a $13.95 billion general‑fund budget for fiscal 2026 and a package of more than 30 bills on Thursday, June 19, including a measure to restrict sales of energy drinks to people under 18 and regulatory steps for state use of artificial intelligence.

The budget measure — filed as the joint resolution of the House 136 — passed in final vote 34–17 after several hours of debate and amendments. The chamber also approved a set of unrelated bills on matters ranging from domestic‑violence victim guidance to municipal spending limits and coastal emergency powers.

Why it matters: the budget sets the island’s spending priorities for the next fiscal year and includes contingency reserves and targeted allocations for education, health care, municipal assistance and post‑disaster recovery. The energy‑drink measure drew sustained debate from legislators and public‑health witnesses and was one of the more contentious standalone policy votes in the package.

Budget and fiscal details

Legislative leaders and the House Committee on Finance presented the budget as a package negotiated with the governor’s office and the Financial Oversight and Management Board. Committee remarks summarized the resolution’s headline numbers: a consolidated government budget of roughly $32.0 billion across all funds and a general‑fund (state) component the House speaker identified as about $13.95 billion. Committee remarks and the record cite line items that include approximately $3.0 billion for the Department of Education, $1.6 billion for health services, $1.2 billion for public safety and $561 million for the University of Puerto Rico (partly designated for operations and scholarship programs).

The House also noted reserves intended to cover potential federal funding changes: the committee said it raised the general‑fund contingency (reserve) to…