House committee halts final consideration of two municipal bills after quorum fails

The Commission on Municipal Autonomy, Decentralization and Regionalization of the House of Representatives opened a public final-consideration session at 1:01 p.m. on June 24, 2024, to review two measures but stopped formal action after failing to reach the quorum required by House rules.

The chair of the commission, identified in the record only as the commission president, read the titles and purposes of House Bill 279 and House Bill 1646. He described HB-279 as a proposal “para autorizar a los gobiernos municipales a estructurar la entidad una entidad unificada, centralizada y autosuficiente” to consolidate municipal emergency management, firefighting and search-and-rescue services and amending provisions of Law No. 17 of 2020. He summarized HB-1646 as a bill filed by representatives José “Memo” González Mercado, Yasel Morales Díaz, Wilson Román López and Ángel Peña Ramírez that “busca extender los beneficios y derechos de los policías municipales para que puedan ser iguales a los de los compañeros del cuerpo de la policía estatal.”

Keyvan Berríos Rodríguez, the commission advisor, confirmed for the record that amended texts of HB-279 and HB-1646 had been circulated to commission members in compliance with Section 12.21 of the House rules and reported that no additional amendments were filed during the designated period: “no se recibieron enmiendas en el periodo dispuesto.” The chair said technical amendments had been made to both measures and urged members to consider approval.

Before the commission could proceed to any votes on amendments, the advisor reported there was not the quorum required by the rules. The chair called a brief recess at 1:08 p.m. and, upon reconvening at 1:09 p.m., instructed the advisor and commission secretary Ginelli (Ginelis) Quiles Santiago to continue the administrative process under the commission’s rules (sections referenced in the record as 3.12 and 3.13) by collecting members’ signatures within 24 hours so the measures could be approved or defeated in keeping with procedural requirements.

No formal motion was adopted on the floor and no vote tallies were recorded during the session. The chair concluded the commission’s work for the afternoon at 1:10 p.m.

What happens next: The measures remain under final consideration; per the chair’s instruction staff must collect the required committee signatures within 24 hours to complete the approval/defeat process. If signatures are obtained, the commission will file its report and the measures will proceed according to the House calendar.