Senator Juan Oscar Morales Rodríguez, who represents the district of San Juan, Guaynabo and Aguas Buenas, filed Senate Bill 1190, which would create the "Law for the Establishment of a Strict Regulatory Framework for Lobbying in Puerto Rico." The measure is scheduled for a Senate vote today. The bill's statement of purpose says it aims to strengthen government transparency, prevent corruption, and ensure decision-making serves the public interest rather than undue influence.
Morales Rodríguez said Puerto Rico's history of bribery and influence-peddling cases has eroded public trust, justifying a stricter regulatory regime than the current one. He stated that access to power "cannot depend on the economic capacity of a few, but on the well-being of all Puerto Ricans," and called for transparent, auditable interactions between the private and public sectors.
The bill draws on U.S. federal frameworks such as the Lobbying Disclosure Act and the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, as well as state laws in New York (requiring detailed activity disclosures) and California (strict conflict-of-interest rules), and cites parallels with regulatory systems in Canada and the United Kingdom, which maintain mandatory public registries and broad oversight powers.