A group of planning professionals, scientists and citizens asked the Senate to postpone its vote on Senate Substitute Bill 1173 and 1183 (PSS 1173), a broad reform that would create a new Planning and Permits Code. The original bills received public hearings in April and May, but the signers argue the substitute text now before the Senate has not had the same scrutiny.
The Committee on Innovation, Reform and Appointments filed the measure on October 7 with a favorable report recommending approval. It was placed on the special orders calendar the next day for consideration by discharge. After several legislators voiced concern about too little time to examine it, the vote was pushed back to October 13.
The signers say that delay is not enough. Signers include planner and attorney Adianez Vélez Martínez, several University of Puerto Rico experts, planner Andrés González Nieves, ecologist Ariel Lugo, retired professor Aurelio Mercado, planner Hernán Morales, engineer Ingrid Vila and planner Luis Jorge Herrera. In an open letter, they note the bill runs 868 pages and covers land-use planning, natural resource conservation and permit evaluation.
They also challenge claims of wide discussion: the committee’s own report draws on comments from hearings held months earlier, and the substitute and its amended versions were shared only with a limited group of organizations. They ask the Senate to withdraw the measure temporarily and convene a new round of public hearings. Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz is pushing the discussion.