House approves bill to force online publication of agencies' strategic plans and performance reports

House of Representatives approves bill to require agencies to publish strategic plans and performance reports on government portal

The Puerto Rico House of Representatives voted to approve Senate Bill 3-40, as amended, on Aug. 28, 2025, requiring government agencies to publish their strategic plans, annual execution plans and reports of results on the government portal and authorizing the government's information-technology office to require agencies to submit those documents for publication.

The measure aims to centralize public access to key agency documents and make publication mandatory rather than discretionary.

Supporters said the bill enforces transparency by obligating agencies to publish plans and reports on their websites and through the government portal. Representative Méndez Núñez, speaking on the floor, said: “este proyecto lo que busca precisamente es el brindar a travE9s del portal del gobierno el que todas las agencias de gobierno tengan una total transparencia de las cosas que ocurren en esa medida.” He described the office authorized by the bill (identified in the text as the government's IT office) as empowered to require agencies to deliver the documents for publication.

Opponents raised two main concerns during floor debate. Representative Ferrer Santiago argued the bill, as drafted, could allow agencies to hire external contractors to prepare strategic plans and would remove the current duty (as he described it) for agencies to submit reports to the legislative secretariats. Ferrer Santiago said: “lo que va a resultar en un gasto al erario pFAblico... y por otra parte tambiE9n le quita el deber de entregar los informes ante la secretarEDa de ambos cuerpos.” He and other members asked for additional safeguards so that legislators would continue to receive documents through the legislative secretariats.

The bill text obligates agencies to post plans, annual execution plans and results reports on their own websites and on the central government portal; it also lists additional categories to publish, including procurement-related documents, nonconfidential managerial transactions and the status of public works projects. The chamber's calendar reading referenced Law 236 of 2010 (the 2010 government accountability statute) as the statutory context the bill modifies.

Floor votes followed extended debate and a failed in-room amendment; the House approved the measure as amended by voice and later by final electronic tally with 32 votes in favor and 16 opposed. The text approved on the floor includes changes discussed during the session; the final engrossed title was approved without objection.

What the bill does (as discussed on the floor): - Requires agencies to publish strategic plans, annual execution plans and reports of results on agency websites and the government portal. - Authorizes the government's IT office to require agencies to submit those documents for publication and to establish the portal link for public access. - Directs publication deadlines for the listed documents and includes procurement and public-works status among required disclosures.

What the debate focused on: - Transparency proponents argued the measure makes existing reporting obligations enforceable and centralizes access for citizens. - Critics warned the bill could permit outsourcing plan preparation to private contractors and could remove or weaken the practice of filing reports with the legislative secretariats; they sought explicit requirements that agencies continue to deliver documents to the House and Senate secretariats.

The bill was identified in the calendar as Senate Bill 3-40 and was described on the floor as an amendment to Law 236 of 2010. Final approval occurred at the end of the voting sequence on Aug. 28, 2025; the final recorded roll call showed 32 votes in favor and 16 against for Senate Bill 3-40.

The measure now proceeds under the legislative process consistent with enacted amendments; the transcript does not record a signed enrollment or a next procedural step beyond final passage in the House.