Puerto Rico Daily Sun wrote:The Senate passed in a voice vote Monday a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit the right to bail for certain violent crimes. If the proposed amendment completes the legislative process, the voters will be able to go to the polls on May 2 to reject of accept three proposed constitutional amendments.
The Senate has already approved two other proposed votes on constitutional amendments for May 2. These are on a proposed constitution amendment that would recognise the right to health care for Puerto Ricans and amendments that would restructure the Legislature. to cut the number of lawmakers by half.
The bail amendment reads that all individuals charged with crimes are entitled to be free on bail before trial except those accused of murdering more than one person in the same event; carjacking; distributing illegal drugs in recreational, sports and school facilities; murdering a police officer; murdering a minor 16and younger; and killing a spouse or former spouse.
Popular Democratic Party senators objected to the legislation, contending that the proposed amendment will not deter crime and would open the door to the erosion of civil rights. Senate Public Safety and Judiciary Affairs Committee Chairman Héctor Martínez said the majority was not doing away with civil rights but merely restricting the right to bail.
He said criminals like those who recently killed eight innocent people and an unborn child in a Toa Baja restaurant or kill children, do not care about other people's lives. "Do you think, they should have the right to be free on bail?" he asked. "This does not take away rights from innocent people."
Senate Minority Leader José Luis Dalmau said that the amendment will not help deter crime. He noted that individuals charged with robbery are not entitled to be free on bail and "robberies have gone up."
He also noted that there are other crimes such as arson that are very serious but were not included in the restriction.
Dalmau said that instead of restricting the right to bail, lawmakers should make amendments to the Rules of Criminal Procedure to allow judges to impose restrictions to individuals who are free on bail, including banning them from drinking alcohol or from going out at night.
Martínez argued that Dalmau had previously opposed amendments to the Rules of Criminal Procedure.
The orginal legislation called for the vote to take place on the second Sunday of October. PDP Sen. Juan Eugenio Hernández Mayoral proposed scheduling the vote for May 2 but the amendment was rejected.
Fifteen minutes later, a majority lawmaker proposed the same amendment and it was accepted.
Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz reiterated that the bill does not repeal the right to bail but gives voters the option to decide if the right to bail should be restricted. He noted that the right to bail was repealed at the federal level. "if the people want perverts and murderers to be free on bail, then they can vote in favor of this," he said.
The Senate also passed a bill that would ban employers from discriminating against individuals who have prior criminal convictions. However, it allows employers to take into account the job that the person will be doing and the crime the person committed before making a decision about employment.
They also passed a bill that would change the composition of the Puerto Rico Convention Center board to include the mayor of San Juan and cut to one the representative from the private sector. Currently, there are two.
This is copied word for word from a local English language newspaper. Sorry for the lack of a link, they don't have an online site yet.
But I think this is absolutely outrageous and the ignorance for the law that these Senators displayed is totally unacceptable.
Let's take a look at this: He said criminals like those who recently killed eight innocent people and an unborn child in a Toa Baja restaurant or kill children, do not care about other people's lives. "Do you think, they should have the right to be free on bail?" he asked. "This does not take away rights from innocent people."
Firstly, it was a bar, not a restaurant (just wanted to point that out). And yes, it does take away rights from innocent people. Because perhaps you don't remember, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Also: Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz reiterated that the bill does not repeal the right to bail but gives voters the option to decide if the right to bail should be restricted. He noted that the right to bail was repealed at the federal level. "if the people want perverts and murderers to be free on bail, then they can vote in favor of this," he said.
Rivera Schatz is first off, a well known dickhead, but that's besides the point. We cannot know for sure without the due process of law if those people really are perverts and murderers. You can't pass judgment based on assumption.
So I say to el Senado:
