Ronald Hernández Maldonado, statistical project manager at the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (LinkedIn) By THE STAR STAFF Puerto Rico paid $919.7 million in tariffs during 2025, the highest amount recorded between 2010 and 2025, according to new data released Tuesday by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (PRSI). The figure represents a dramatic increase of $683.1 million compared with 2024, when tariff payments totaled $236.6 million. The year‑over‑year jump amounts t

U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) (Wikipedia) By THE STAR STAFF The state of New York is evaluating legislation to close a legal loophole that has long enabled hedge funds to profit from financially distressed governments, including Puerto Rico’s. The bill -- sponsored by Assembly member Jessica González‑Rojas and State Senator Liz Krueger -- would restore the state’s champerty doctrine, making it illegal to purchase debt solely to sue for repayment. U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázque

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz In salty social media post, Senate president cites 2025 executive order giving La Fortaleza chief of staff broad powers By THE STAR STAFF Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz said Tuesday there is no rush to address an interim appointment of a new secretary at the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC by its acronym in Spanish) following the recent resignation of Sebastián Negrón Reichard. “After Sebastián Negrón Reichard

Bayamón Mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Cruz By THE STAR STAFF Bayamón Mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Cruz described on Tuesday how the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) has handled -- specifically as an emergency -- the issue involving the impaired Finca Rosso pump station, which supplies water to sectors of Bayamón and Guaynabo. The installation sustained major damage -- allegedly due to a voltage surge -- on Aug. 17, 2025, at 3:27 p.m. “I remember it clearly, because I imm

Rep. Edgar Robles Rivera By THE STAR STAFF District 14 (Arecibo and Hatillo) Rep. Edgar Robles Rivera requested on Monday that Transportation and Public Works (DTOP by its acronym in Spanish) Secretary Edwin González Montalvo consider “a 12-month administrative moratorium related to the processes of removal of vendors and street merchants located in areas belonging to the state right-of-way.” The lawmaker, who chairs the Committee on Consumer Affairs in the island House of R

Sen. Brenda Pérez Soto By THE STAR STAFF District III (Arecibo) Sen. Brenda Pérez Soto on Monday introduced Senate Bill 1301, a measure aimed at strengthening the safety and protection of minors and people with conditions that limit their ability to communicate during individual therapeutic interventions. The proposal amends the Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities to recognize the right of parents, guardian or legal representatives to request audio and video recordi

By THE STAR STAFF The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico has issued a warning to the Puerto Rico Department of Education (DE) and the Office of Management and Budget stating that the agency’s growing reliance on non‑recurring funds to cover recurring Special Education obligations is “not sustainable” and must end. In a letter dated May 29, the oversight board said the issue is not whether services should be delivered, but that the DE has repeatedly faile

Puerto Rico Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Feliberti Cintrón wrote the majority opinion. (poderjudicial.pr) By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rico Supreme Court held that noncompete clauses in professional services contracts remain valid and enforceable when assigned to another party, provided the restrictions are reasonable and the contractor demonstrates consent through their actions. The decision, announced last week, is the first time Puerto Rico’s highest court has r

Popular Democratic Party Senate Minority Leader Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz, foreground, and PDP Sen. Josian Santiago Rivera By THE STAR STAFF The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) delegation in the Senate filed a lawsuit on Monday asking the San Juan Superior Court to compel Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres to release information on cases closed or archived by the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity and Comptroller Affairs Division. The announcement was made during a

By THE STAR STAFF Rep. Víctor Parés Otero, chairman of the House Government Committee, asserted on Monday that funds do not exist to suspend the second ‘crudita’ (Law 1-2015). Parés said the lower chamber “will not approve anything that lacks replacement revenue sources -- anything that would amount to imposing a greater burden on the people.” “Suspending the second ‘crudita’ -- imposed by the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 -- would cost $217.4 million; this amount wo