Representative Gregorio Ocasio Ramos, chair of the commission, convened a May 30 hearing on Proyecto de la Cámara 6-54 (PC 654), which would create a required parenting-education program delivered as part of hospital discharge and as a condition for enrollment in certain public preschool programs.

The measure’s supporters told the commission the training aims to prevent child abuse and neglect by giving parents basic information on newborn care, safe sleep, shaken-baby prevention, nutrition and positive, nonviolent discipline. Forensic sexologist Juan Carlos Malavé Resach, an expert witness, said the bill aligns with recent child-protection policy and cited international programs as models. “La educación en la crianza no solo salva vidas, sino que construye ciudadanía, previene la violencia y refuerza el tejido social,” Malavé said.

The proposal would require an issuing entity to provide a participation certificate for parents; the bill text names program content (care of the newborn, SIDS prevention, shaken-baby syndrome, home and transport safety, breastfeeding and safe feeding, parental stress management, positive parenting without violence, and an explanation of Law 57 of 2023 and legal implications of abuse). The draft also states the certificate must be presented for enrollment in public preschool programs such as Head Start and Early Head Start.

Carlos A. Rivera Otero, assistant administrator of Prevention Services at the Administration for Families and Children (AFAN) in the Department of the Family, described existing preventive programs the department operates or funds, including Escuela para la Convivencia y la Crianza; Fundamentos de la Crianza (two curricula, 0–4 and 12–18 years); Escuela para la Vida en Familia (16 workshops for families involved with child-protection services); nurse home-visiting programs in Ponce and Humacao; and Encuentro (supervised visits and mediation). Rivera Otero said the department already offers prevention services in the 10 regional offices and is working to increase public outreach to boost participation.

At the same time, AFAN officials and the department’s legal adviser flagged implementation and legal questions. Miguel Hernández Biboni, legal adviser to the Department of the Family, recommended further study of any mandatory certification that would be required to enroll in Head Start or Early Head Start, saying such a mandate could conflict with the federal purpose of those programs. He also warned the commission to study how low-income families would access or pay for certified workshops.

Rivera Otero told the commission the department does not currently have full staffing levels of social workers it would ideally want, though prevention units exist in regional offices and the agency would “hacer todos los esfuerzos necesarios” to comply if the law were enacted. He stressed the department did not yet project a concrete fiscal impact tied to the measure and suggested collaboration with the budgetary committee to assess costs.

Expert testimony proposed changes the witness said would strengthen PC 654 without undermining civil liberties. Malavé recommended: (1) adding a module specifically on sexual-abuse prevention and on recognizing signs of abuse at different developmental stages; (2) ensuring accessibility for people with cognitive, linguistic or literacy limitations; (3) creating a bank of digital resources to reach parents with time or transport barriers; and (4) requiring a 5–10 year impact evaluation to measure effects on child-maltreatment rates. Malavé also suggested organizing workshop content by child-development stages (e.g., 0–5, 6–10, 11–16, 16–18) so training matches parental needs.

Committee members discussed delivery options including in-person, hybrid and fully virtual formats; witnesses cautioned that virtual courses must include verification mechanisms so participation is meaningful rather than passive. Several members urged coordination with the Department of Education to explore integrating parent-education content into school-based programs and to consider reinstating or updating existing curricular options for adolescents.

Representatives emphasized fiscal prudence and the need to estimate budget and staffing requirements before advancing a mandatory certification that could affect program eligibility for federally funded services. Rivera Otero noted the department grants federal funds to municipalities and nongovernmental organizations for prevention—his testimony referenced approximately $2,000,000 allocated to such projects in the department’s memorial—but said the department would need the Commission on Budget’s help to identify sustainable funding and staffing for expanded, mandatory programming.

No formal votes were taken during the hearing. Committee members said they will continue work on the bill, consider the witnesses’ recommended amendments and study fiscal and legal implications before advancing the measure.

Ending: The committee closed the hearing at 10:35 a.m. and said it will hold further sessions to refine the proposal and request cost and staffing estimates for any mandatory requirements.