Mayors oppose absolute ban in House Bill 996, urge notification-and-agreement process
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Summary
The Association of Mayors told a House committee it cannot endorse House Bill 996 as written because an absolute prohibition on declaring Housing-owned properties estorbo público or expropriating them would infringe municipal autonomy; the group recommended clear notification procedures and timeframes instead.
San Juan — The Association of Mayors of Puerto Rico told a House committee on Feb. 18 that it cannot endorse House Bill 996 in its present form, which would bar municipalities from declaring Department of Housing properties an estorbo público or expropriating them.
Joel Sánchez Ayala, representing the association, said consultations with member municipalities produced concerns that an absolute prohibition would strip local officials of tools needed to respond to sanitation, safety and abandonment problems. “Excluir a los municipios...de cualquier acción municipal...atenta contra la autonomía municipal,” he said.
Sánchez Ayala and the association’s submitted comments recommended creating a coordination mechanism: municipalities would notify the Department of Housing, allow a reasonable number of days for a response and jointly develop next steps; if Housing did not respond within the agreed window, the municipality could proceed. The association cited municipal examples, including Isabela, Caguas and Humacao, that argued the measure as drafted would be impractical in urgent situations.
The chair asked the Department of Justice to review whether similar prohibitions should cover other agencies; DOJ agreed to provide a written response to the committee within five days. The committee recessed and then adjourned at 11:25 a.m. without taking a vote on the bill.