The International Press Institute, joined by more than two dozen U.S. and international journalism organizations, called on Gov. Jenniffer González Colón this week to veto amendments to Puerto Rico’s Transparency and Expedited Procedure for Access to Public Information Act. The changes are included in Senate Bill 63 (SB 63), which was passed without debate in November.
In a letter signed by Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Inter American Press Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, and human and civil rights groups such as Amnesty International USA and the American Civil Liberties Union of Puerto Rico, the signatories warn that the amendments “would allow the government to classify public information as confidential without legal review and eliminate protections for the personal information of those who request records.”
The letter flags concerns about the restrictions proposed in the bill, authored by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, and about “layers of bureaucracy that would delay the release of public information at the expense of taxpayers.”
The organizations warn that the legislation “provides the government with new tools and mechanisms to deny access to public information.” Additional signatories include the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, PEN America, the NewsGuild-CWA, and Free Press.
Popular Democracy, a network of organizations operating in 31 states and Puerto Rico and focused on advancing racial and economic justice through grassroots organizing, also joined the call to veto SB 63. The group described the measure as “a severe setback to the democratic rights” of the Puerto Rican people.
The organization, which has collaborated since 2015 with groups in Puerto Rico and across the diaspora, emphasized in a statement that access to information “is a fundamental tool for accountability, fighting corruption, informing civic participation, and strengthening democracy.”
In its letter urging the governor to veto the bill, Popular Democracy warned that the legislation “would move Puerto Rico from 94th to 106th place worldwide in the Right to Information Index, a clear indicator of democratic decline.”
The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition (FACT) also opposed the bill, stating that it undermines “the transparency necessary to detect financial misconduct, monitor public spending, and ensure responsible administration of recovery funds.”
FACT — which includes anti-corruption advocates, human rights groups, labor unions, and environmental organizations — cautioned that the amendments “would move the island even further away from the transparency standards that underpin sound governance, investor confidence, and effective safeguards against illicit finance.”
The Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), a U.S.-based nonprofit that monitors and documents nearly all press freedom violations in the country, also published an opinion column urging the governor to veto SB 63. As U.S. military presence on the island increases, Puerto Ricans “need to know whether the Puerto Rico government is coordinating with the Pentagon and whether their concerns are being taken into account,” wrote Caitlin Vogus, a senior FPF staff member. She concluded: “Puerto Rico cannot afford to be left in the dark. Senate Bill 63 dims the light of transparency precisely when we need it most.”
On Nov. 20, the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, based in Washington, D.C., sent its own letter to the governor opposing the bill, which passed the House of Representatives after a single public hearing.
The journalism community also criticized the amendments to Act 141 of 2019, arguing that they extend agencies’ response times to public records requests and exempt them from producing documents that do not already exist when the request is submitted.
“These changes, in practical terms, would make it harder for both journalists and the general public to obtain quick and affordable access to public records and data, which is the stated purpose of Puerto Rico’s rule of law,” the Committee noted in its letter, emphasizing that the right to access public information carries constitutional weight on the island.
Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velázquez, and Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández also opposed the bill.
The House approved SB 63 with amendments negotiated in a Conference Committee of both legislative chambers. The vote was 28 in favor — all from the New Progressive Party — and 20 against. In the Senate, the measure passed with 19 votes in favor and seven opposed.
Among the changes approved by the majority was a provision allowing agencies up to 30 business days to produce information if the documents or files requested exceed 300 pages or are more than three years old. Agencies would be allowed to request an additional 20 business days, extending the potential wait to nearly two and a half months.
The bill also stipulates that if a judge has previously ruled certain information confidential, agencies may cite that ruling to deny access, even if the decision was issued by a lower court rather than the Puerto Rico Supreme Court. In addition, agencies would be permitted to classify information as confidential through internal regulations.
The measure further allows agencies to deny requests when the information is spread across multiple files, and it would eliminate the obligation to provide data in formats that can be easily and effectively analyzed.
González Colón has until Jan. 4, 2026, to sign or veto SB 63.
The following U.S. and international groups — several of them major press freedom or human rights coalitions — have urged the governor to veto SB 63:
- International Press Institute (IPI)
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
- Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF)
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP)
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
- Inter American Press Association (IAPA)
- Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA)
- Center for Law and Democracy (CLD)
- Popular Democracy (PD)
- The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition
- American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA)
- Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project
- NewsGuild-CWA
- Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)
- Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
- PEN America
- Free Press
- Amnesty International USA
- American Civil Liberties Union of Puerto Rico (ACLU-PR)
This translation was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and clarity.
