Senate Popular Democratic Party spokesperson Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz introduced Senate Bill 1593 on October 20 to establish a Bill of Rights for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Puerto Rico. The measure, referred to the Senate Health Committee, was drafted at the request of EducAcciónPR, a public health education organization, and reflects concerns from families, professionals and organizations.
Hernández Ortiz said existing legal frameworks for people with disabilities have proven insufficient in practice to consistently guarantee services, accommodations and supports, citing fragmented processes, long waiting lists, untrained school staff and no clear protocols. Alternate PPD spokesperson Marially González Huertas said the government health plan Vital attended an average of 27,302 minors with ADHD annually between 2019 and 2025, and that 35% to 65% of diagnosed children continue showing symptoms in adulthood, per studies compiled by CHADD.
She noted Puerto Rico has no official epidemiological surveillance system for ADHD. The Department of Education serves 101,598 special education students, with ADHD filed under other health impairments, but published MIPE portal data do not break down ADHD cases. The bill would guarantee dignified treatment, timely access to health and education services, and protection from discrimination; require emotional regulation spaces in schools, complaint mechanisms, ongoing teacher training, identification protocols, and a ban on humiliation and disproportionate punishment.
It would task the Health Department with creating ADHD surveillance with data by age, sex and town, plus anti-stigma campaigns. Senator Ada Álvarez Conde said it would harmonize with Law 51-1996, the disabilities Bill of Rights and Law 163-2024 on autism, allowing dual-diagnosis services. Hernández Ortiz will seek coauthors and hearings.