The short version
- El Nuevo Día reported the House of Representatives approved Senate Project 1551 on Thursday by discharge with 28 votes in favor and 24 against
- The Senate had approved the same bill on Wednesday by voice vote with 24 in favor and four against, according to El Nuevo Día
- The bill divides the transition into three phases ending in 2031 and states that short extensions have not worked, El Nuevo Día reported
- El Vocero reported the moratorium on single-use plastics has been extended
Legislative action
The House of Representatives approved Senate Project (PS) 1551 on Thursday, Nov. 12, by discharge and without discussion or amendments. The bill would postpone the ban on single-use plastics until Dec. 31, 2031, and the related penalties until Jan. 1, 2032. It now awaits the signature of Gov. Jenniffer González, El Nuevo Día reported.
The Senate had approved the measure on Wednesday, Nov. 11, also by discharge and without debate. The vote was 24 in favor and four against from senators Ada Álvarez Conde, José Luis Dalmau, Adrián González Costa and María de Lourdes Santiago. The bill was authored by Sen. Nitza Morán Trinidad of the San Juan district, El Nuevo Día reported.
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Transition phases and rationale
According to the text of PS 1551, the five-year extension is divided into three phases: planning and regulation until June 30, 2028; voluntary adoption and support for merchants from July 1, 2028, to June 30, 2031; and orientation and warnings without penalties during the second half of 2031. The measure states that short extensions have not worked and that a phased approach allows for sequenced implementation focused on merchant support, El Nuevo Día reported.
The bill also amends Law 51-2022 so that fines issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DACO) — $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second and $5,000 for a third and subsequent — would not take effect until 2032. It notes that although a multisectoral committee created by Law 47-2025 continues its work, the Legislature still lacks its recommendations on a regulatory framework that balances economic and environmental factors, El Nuevo Día reported.
Background and merchant concerns
Law 51-2022 was originally set to take effect 24 months after approval but has been delayed repeatedly by administrative and legislative moratoria. The current deadline was Dec. 31, 2026, for the ban and Jan. 1, 2027, for penalties. Merchants, especially food establishment owners, have questioned the law and regulations from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) and DACO over definitions of reusable and compostable products, El Nuevo Día reported.
If signed, the new 2031 deadline could only be changed by the Legislature, not by administrative action. El Vocero reported that the moratorium on single-use plastics has been extended, El Vocero reported.
Where the sources differ
All three sources agree that the House approved PS 1551 on Thursday by discharge with 28-24 votes and that the Senate approved it the previous day. El Nuevo Día's two articles provide identical details on the bill's phases, history, fines, merchant concerns and rationale, while El Vocero offers only a brief headline confirming the extension was approved. The Senate article notes the four opposing senators by name; the House article does not. There are no conflicts on facts, dates or outcomes.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state whether Gov. Jenniffer González intends to sign or veto the bill. They also do not indicate when the multisectoral committee will complete its report, what that report is expected to recommend, or how many merchants would be affected by the new timeline. The articles contain no information on current usage levels of single-use plastics in Puerto Rico or environmental impact assessments.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Cámara aprueba por descargue medida que aplaza prohibición de los plásticos de un solo uso por cinco años
- Reporting Senado aprueba a viva voz medida que pospone por cinco años la prohibición de los plásticos de un solo uso
- Reporting Aprueban extender la moratoria sobre los plásticos de un solo uso
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día covered the Senate and House approvals in separate articles with extensive detail drawn from the bill text. El Vocero reported the approval in a shorter piece. All information on vote tallies, phases, legislative history and merchant objections rests on the two El Nuevo Día reports.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
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