Puerto Rico hearing backs registry and accessible outdoor gyms but officials warn funding, staffing gaps

The House Commission on Recreation and Sport on Feb. 25 heard advocates and agency officials endorse two bills that would map and certify barrier‑free recreational facilities across Puerto Rico and require publicly funded outdoor gyms to guarantee access for people with disabilities.

The measures under consideration — Proyecto de la Cámara 181, which would create a special registry of barrier‑free parks and sports facilities by municipality, and Proyecto de la Cámara 238, which would require equality of sports opportunities and accessible outdoor gym equipment — draw broad support from disability advocates, Paralympic and sport federations, and the Department of Recreation and Sports (DRD). But witnesses including the Defensoría de las Personas con Impedimento (DPI) and DRD told the commission the bills, as written, do not identify the funds or staff needed to implement inspections, a central database and a public information campaign.

"La sana administración pública exige que esta medida venga acompañada con su correspondiente asignación de fondos," said Juan José Troche Villeneuve, interim defensor of the Defensoría de las Personas con Impedimento, repeating the agency's written testimony that it supports the bills' aims but lacks uncommitted budgetary resources to run a statewide registry or the publicity campaign the text contemplates.

Department officials said they support creating an official registry and certifying accessible facilities but warned of practical limits. "Nuestro sistema de informática se estima que nos puede costar como un millón de dólares en su totalidad y hubo una aplicación ... que estaba entre los seiscientos a los ochocientos mil dólares," said Professor Ángel Arroyo, director of the DRD adapted‑sports program, reading the department's testimony about the cost of building a searchable database and application. DRD's submission also estimated outdoor‑gym equipment costs, saying "El costo de cada máquina fluctúa entre mil trescientos a mil quinientos dólares," and that a six‑machine setup would cost about $8,400.

Advocates and sports federations told the committee that accessibility goes beyond ramps and labeled parking: they asked for adult changing stations, appropriate bathroom dimensions, trained municipal liaisons and ongoing maintenance. "El deporte es para todos, es salud, es vida independiente," said Víctor Rivera Núñez, secretary general of the Comité Paralímpico de Puerto Rico, summarizing the federations' message that accessible facilities support health, social inclusion and elite sport development.

Witnesses described a patchwork of existing data and efforts. DPI and DRD said they are already compiling municipal information and that DPI plans regional inspections. DRD told lawmakers it is updating a register of facilities but that records have been lost over time and that a complete, validated inventory could take roughly 18 to 24 months. Committee members pressed for an incremental approach, starting with basic inventories and progressively adding accessibility detail.

On procedural follow‑up, the commission directed DPI and DRD to provide specific information to the panel: the committee gave the agencies 30 days to submit municipality‑level inventories and other requested data for the record. No formal votes were taken during the hearing.

Supporters urged the committee to involve the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and the Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRiX) to host and publish registry data, and to require that inspections include people with disabilities as evaluators. Several speakers pointed to other countries and regional examples where accessible‑tourism registries already exist and suggested Puerto Rico adapt those models rather than start from scratch.

The hearing highlighted two policy tradeoffs: broad public benefit against near‑term fiscal and staffing limits. Sponsors and witnesses repeatedly recommended one of two fixes: (1) amend the bills to include a funding appropriation and a phased implementation timeline, or (2) require the agencies to produce a conservative cost estimate and a funding plan before enactment.

The commission closed the hearing after receiving testimony from the DPI, DRD and representatives of the Comité Paralímpico de Puerto Rico, Federación Puertorriqueña de Baloncesto en Silla de Ruedas, Federación Puertorriqueña de Deporte Ciego and other federations and groups. The committee did not vote on either bill and asked agencies to return with the requested data within 30 days.