House speaker, comptroller meet on transparent & agile use of public funds

By THE STAR STAFF

As part of his efforts to expand oversight of the proper use of public funds, framed within transparency and agility, Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez held a working meeting earlier this week with Comptroller of Puerto Rico Carmen A. Vega Fournier.

During the meeting in the speaker’s office, a multitude of issues were discussed, including current laws related to the functions of the Office of the Comptroller.

“We are committed to transparency in public service, which is why we always seek to strengthen the controls on the use of public funds,” Méndez Nuñez said. “The Comptroller’s Office is a tool to safeguard the government’s fiscal operations. That is why we met with the comptroller, to evaluate initiatives and proposals that strengthen this function, which is so important for good governance.”

The House speaker is the author of Law 20-2025 which empowers the Office of the Comptroller, as well as the Office of the Citizen’s Advocate and the Civil Rights Commission, to contract the insurances managed by the Treasury secretary for the central government or to manage their own insurances.

Currently, there are about nine bills, as well as one resolution, pending evaluation related to the Comptroller’s Office in the House of Representatives.