Gov. Rosselló pursues Freedom of Information law

One of the main complaints of those involved in any way with Puerto Rico’s ongoing fiscal crisis is the lack of information available. Audits from 2014, were only recently released, and despite repeated pleas from Congress, the territorial government never provided up-to-date information on the state of the government’s finances. New governor Ricardo Rosselló seems to be aiming to change that.

Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has signed an executive order creating a new public affairs and public policy secretary position that will be responsible for drawing up proposed legislation similar to the Freedom of Information Act that has long been enforced in the mainland U.S.

Rosselló said Tuesday that the legislative proposal will be discussed with the media and the public before it goes to legislators for debate.

The island has a weak public records law that is not always enforced, especially when it comes to requests for information tied to its decade-old economic crisis. The newly elected governor said he wants to create more transparency within his administration.

Whether the law is actually enacted is to be determined, although this presents a rather encouraging development in terms of truly gauging the severity of the situation in the US territory.