Senate

Privileged government information can give officials who move into the private sector an unfair competitive advantage, a business ethics expert says.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press warns that the proposed amendments would erode public access to government information and weaken accountability on the island.

Despite the absence of public hearings, the New Progressive Party delegation in the Senate voted in favor of the bill, introducing last-minute amendments that had neither been disclosed nor discussed beforehand.

As the Senate prepared to vote on the measure, members of the press and civil society warned that it would weaken Puerto Ricans’ right to know how their government operates.