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Votes at a glance: House approves teletherapy, rare-diseases office, folic-acid outreach and multiple resolutions
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Summary
On April 3, 2025 the Puerto Rico House approved a package of administration bills on teletherapy, rare diseases and folic-acid education, several resolutions, and a gubernatorial appointment; most measures passed unanimously or by large margins.
The Puerto Rico House of Representatives on April 3, 2025 approved several administration bills and a number of resolutions and an executive appointment. Floor tallies recorded later in the session show the following outcomes.
Key bills and outcomes
- House Bill 396 (teletherapy/cybertherapy): Approved, 51-0. The bill removes a state-level certification requirement so that licensed health professionals who have the required federal certifications may provide teletherapy and teleservices in Puerto Rico. Representative Gabriel Rodríguez, chair of the Health Commission, described the measure as removing duplicative state-level barriers to telehealth.
- House Bill 397 (office for rare diseases): Approved, 51-0. The bill creates an office within the Department of Health to coordinate services and referrals for people with rare diseases and to link Puerto Rico with other jurisdictions as needed.
- House Bill 419 (folic-acid education): Approved, 51-0. The measure requires the Department of Health to implement outreach and educational materials for women of reproductive age and pregnant women about the benefits of folic acid, and to coordinate materials with obstetric/gynecologic practices.
- House Bill 375: Approved, 51-0. (The session calendar included this measure; the floor tally recorded 51-0 in the consolidated vote announcement.)
Resolutions and appointment
- Joint resolution of the House, No. 5: Approved, 48-3. - Joint resolution of the House, No. 7: Approved, 48-3. - Joint resolution of the Senate No. 18: Approved, 51-0. - Concurrent resolution of the House No. 14: Approved, 51-0. - Nomination: The House approved the appointment of Elois Helguer Anadón to the board of directors of Puerto Rico Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), 48-3. The Clerk directed the House to notify the governor following approval.
Several other chamber resolutions and housekeeping items appearing on the calendar were approved during the same session without recorded roll-call tallies in the floor transcript excerpt.
What members said
Representative Gabriel Rodríguez summarized the three health-related administration bills on the floor and said the Health Commission had obtained information from the Department of Health and other agencies during committee review. Some speakers praised the measures as administrative and non-fiscal; the floor record contains statements that the Health Commission reported "no fiscal impact" for these bills because they would be implemented by redirecting existing resources.
Procedural notes
Several members requested or filed votes of abstention or explanatory votes on specific measures during the consolidated final-vote process; the record shows a delegation abstained on House Bill 334 (the STEAM pilot) and filed an explanatory vote, while the final roll-call tallies reported elsewhere in the record list the overall counts cited above.
All vote counts and the nomination vote are drawn from the House floor record for April 3, 2025 as announced in the chamber; for full text, amendments and the official roll-call sheets, consult the House clerk's office or the chamber's published journals.
