reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 31 - Creation and Powers (§§ 241 — 292) › Subchapter II - General Powers and Faculties (§§ 261 — 292) › § 288 - Power of Land Authority to receive donations and other aid

The Land Authority shall be empowered to receive funds, gifts, subsidies, appropriations, advances, loans or other similar payments or aid from the federal or Commonwealth government, or from municipalities, private persons, banks or other private or governmental entities, to carry out its purposes, and it may enter into agreements with such governments, agencies, banks, or other private or governmental entities, for the use of such funds or aid, including the making of contributions to such funds in a manner not in conflict with the purposes and the spirit of §§ 241 et seq. of this title.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 80; June 27, 1958, No. 131, p. 315, § 13.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 31 - Creation and Powers (§§ 241 — 292) › Subchapter II - General Powers and Faculties (§§ 261 — 292) › § 289 - Exemption from fees—Judicial proceedings; certificates; execution and registration of public documents

The Land Authority of Puerto Rico and its Executive Director are hereby exempted from the payment of all kinds of fees prescribed by laws in force for the prosecution of judicial proceedings, issuance of certificates by all organizations of the Commonwealth government, and for the execution of public documents and the registration thereof in any public registry of Puerto Rico.
History —Apr. 29, 1943, No. 30, p. 78, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 31 - Creation and Powers (§§ 241 — 292) › Subchapter II - General Powers and Faculties (§§ 261 — 292) › § 290 - Exemption from fees—Proceedings to perfect titles to property under Title V of Land Law

In all these cases where the Land Authority of Puerto Rico needs to acquire rural properties or participation or rights therein, or to sell, cede, donate, exchange, or otherwise dispose of lands belonging to it or any participation or right therein, in the carrying out of the agrarian policy established by Title V of the Land Law of Puerto Rico, if, for the purpose of perfecting the titles to be transferred to it, it should be necessary or indispensable to legalize records of any kind, the prosecution of such judicial proceedings are hereby exempted from the payment of schedule fees required by the laws in force. Such exemption shall be effective only as regards the proceedings filed in connection with the parcels to be transferred in accordance with this section; but when the judicial proceeding, by the nature thereof, does not specifically refer to any real right, the decision of the court shall be effective solely for the purposes of perfecting the title and the registration of the parcels so transferred to the Land Authority of Puerto Rico.
The clerks of the courts shall, when issuing certified copies of the decisions in these cases, state that the same have been prosecuted fee-free and solely for the purposes of the agrarian policy of Puerto Rico.
History —Apr. 29, 1943, No. 30, p. 78, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 31 - Creation and Powers (§§ 241 — 292) › Subchapter II - General Powers and Faculties (§§ 261 — 292) › § 291 - Exemption from fees—Execution and registration of titles; certificates

The exemption provided by § 290 of this title is hereby made extensive to all schedule fees prescribed by the laws of Puerto Rico for the execution of titles and registration thereof in the registries of property, and for the issuance of all kinds of certificates by all administrative centers, both Commonwealth and municipal.
History —Apr. 29, 1943, No. 30, p. 78, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 31 - Creation and Powers (§§ 241 — 292) › Subchapter II - General Powers and Faculties (§§ 261 — 292) › § 292 - Exemption from fees—Certificate supporting exemption

Whenever under § 290 of this title, it is desired to file judicial proceedings, execute a title, register the same in the registry of property, or request any official document in behalf of any private person or entity, the need of such proceeding, execution, registration, or document, and the purposes sought thereby, shall be attested by a certificate of the Executive Director of the Land Authority of Puerto Rico, which shall be presented to a competent court or official.
History —Apr. 29, 1943, No. 30, p. 78, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 301 - Establishment

The Puerto Rico Land Authority, in its capacity of public corporation, shall implement a Voluntary Early Retirement Program which shall include all employees that hold positions in said Corporation that on Jan. 31, 2008, have attained a minimum of twenty-five (25) years of accredited service as participants of the Retirement System of the Employees of the Government and the Judicature of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, hereinafter denominated Retirement System.
The implementation of the Voluntary Early Retirement program for the employees of the Authority herein authorized shall be in strict compliance with all labor laws, collective bargaining agreements in effect and with the due respect to the Merit Principle, to the provisions of law that prohibit political discrimination and to the vested rights of the public servants that work in said entity.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 302 - Pension

Every employee who meets the requirements of § 301 of this title and that on Jan. 31, 2008, has completed twenty-five (25) years or more of accredited service and reached fifty (50) years of age or more, and who voluntarily avails him/herself of the Program authorized in this chapter, shall be entitled to receive a pension equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the average compensation. This average compensation shall be determined in accordance to the date of entry of the employee into the Retirement System, as established in §§ 761 et seq. of Title 3. No person who avails him/herself of this Program may contract, either by him/herself or through third parties, the rendering of services with any government entity or public corporation during a term of four (4) years.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 303 - Indispensible positions

It is provided that through the implementation of this Voluntary Early Retirement Program, the Puerto Rico Land Authority shall eliminate the positions equivalent to those that become vacant as the result, with the exception of Head of Leases, which has been identified as indispensable. It shall be understood by indispensable positions those whose functions are of a highly specialized nature, essential and imperative for the most effective operation of the Authority in order for it to carry out the public purpose for which it was created as a public corporation of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. To fill this indispensable position, the career personnel of the Authority that express their availability for relocation to such position shall be given preference, therefore, an internal notice of convocation shall be opened for such purpose.
It is further provided that no additional personnel shall be contracted or subcontracted to carry out tasks conducted by the employees who have availed themselves of the retirement program. To fill a position identified as indispensable, the employees of the Land Authority shall be given priority, and in second place, an active employee of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, mainly from the agencies attached to the Department of Agriculture. The Authority shall train that employee who applies to such indispensable position so that he/she complies with the requirements of the position, provided it is not extremely onerous for the Authority. At the time of calculating the expenses to be incurred in training an employee to hold an indispensable position, the following factors shall be taken into consideration, without it constituting a limitation: the number of positions to be filled versus the available personnel, the time required for training and the cost thereof.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 304 - Special incentives

The special incentives that the Authority shall grant the employees who meet the parameters set forth in §§ 301 and 302 of this title are the following:
(a) Total liquidation of accumulated regular sick and vacation leaves, as provided by law.
(b) Health insurance for one (1) year as of the effectiveness of his/her retirement or a bonus equal to the cost of the contribution made by the Authority for this benefit.
(c) Maximum bonus for having availed him/herself of the Retirement System, as established in the collective bargaining agreement, which shall also apply to the managerial employees included in this chapter.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 305 - Decision timeframe

An employee who meets the employment requirements according to §§ 301 and 302 of this title, shall have to exercise his/her decision to avail him/herself of the Early Retirement Program on or before thirty (30) days as of the approval of this act.
Every informed decision of an employee to voluntarily avail him/herself of the Early Retirement Program herein provided shall be considered final, binding and irrevocable for all legal purposes.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 306 - Pending claims

It is hereby provided that the opportunity of an eligible employee to avail him/herself of the Early Retirement Program shall not be conditioned to relinquishing judicial or administrative claims against the Authority and the Department of Agriculture, whether present or pending adjudication.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 307 - Uncredited service

In those cases in which an employee, in order to complete the twenty-five (25) years, needs to accredit services not credited in the Retirement System, he/she shall file the application before the Coordinator for the Authority’s Retirement Affairs (hereinafter Coordinator), before the date of separation from service. It is further provided that in order for these employees to complete the time they are lacking to accredit service not credited and thus comply with the retirement requirements established in this chapter to avail themselves of said voluntary early retirement, it shall be allowed, as an exception to § 765a of Title 3, that said employees use their accumulated vacation and sick leaves. For such effects, every twenty (20) accumulated days shall be equal to one (1) month of work.
The Coordinator for the Authority’s Retirement Affairs shall certify to the System that the application for non-credited services was filed while the employee was in active service and that it complies with the other requirements of this chapter.
The Administrator of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Government Employees Retirement System shall accept the payment made by the employee for the non-credited services, even when he/she is not in active service, duly adjusted to the base of its actuarial cost, as an exception to § 765a of Title 3, provided the certification of the Coordinator is received. The effective date of the pension shall be the day after the separation from service, even though the employee has not finished paying the non-credited services, but has a payment plan to do so.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 308 - Actuarial cost

The actuarial cost to be established after the evaluation to be determined by the Administrator of the Retirement System shall be paid by the Authority to the Retirement System Administration through a payment plan agreed upon by said agencies prior to the implementation of the Program. Said actuarial cost shall consist of the difference between the early pension provided in this chapter and the present value of a pension for years of service pursuant to the provisions of §§ 761 et seq. of Title 3, and in accordance with what is established in the present legislation. It is further provided that the Authority shall annually compensate the Retirement System of the Employees of the Government and the Judicature for the costs incurred for the implementation and administration of the Voluntary Early Retirement Program authorized by this chapter and all the actuarial studies that have been requested or that shall be requested by the Authority. The funds for the payment of the Voluntary Early Retirement Program shall proceed from the Authority’s own funds, therefore, the same shall not constitute a lien on the resources in the General Fund of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico nor shall a debt be issued for the payment thereof. The Executive Director of the Authority that fails to comply with said provision shall be liable in his/her official and personal capacity for any reduction caused in the funds of said public corporation.
In the event that the payment made by the Authority is greater than the actuarial cost, the Administration of the Retirement System of the Employees of the Government and the Judicature shall reimburse to the to the Authority, as the case may be, the excess of the amount paid on a period not to exceed thirty (30) days as of the effective date of the Program. If, on the contrary, the payment made by the Authority is insufficient, a payment shall be issued for the additional cost certified by the corresponding Retirement System Administration, in a period that shall not exceed thirty (30) days as of the effective date of the Program.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 309 - New benefits

The Authority shall be responsible for the payment of any new benefit that is granted by law to the pensioners who have availed themselves of this Voluntary Early Retirement Plan.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 310 - Application

The provisions of this act shall also apply to those employees that on the effective date thereof have availed themselves of any type of leave, pursuant to the Personnel Regulations of the Authority, collective bargaining agreements or statutes applicable.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 311 - Orientation

The Authority, in coordination the Retirement System of the Employees of the Government and the Judicature, shall provide an orientation on the benefits and criteria of the Program to all employees that qualify for the Early Retirement Program.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 32 - Puerto Rico Land Authority—Voluntary Early Retirement Program (§§ 301 — 312) › § 312 - Interpretation with other provisions

All the provisions of §§ 761 et seq. of Title 3, that are not in contravention with this chapter shall be applicable to the Early Retirement Program.
History —May 12, 2008, No. 59, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter I - Appropriation of Funds (§§ 321 — 324) › § 321 - Initial appropriation

In order to comply with the provisions of §§ 241 et seq. of this title, the sum of one million nine hundred thousand dollars ($1,900,000) is hereby appropriated for the Land Authority, which amount shall be set aside by the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico, with a preferential character, out of the funds available in the Treasury on the effective date of this act, or out of any other funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and shall be covered into the general funds of the Authority. In addition to the said sum of one million nine hundred thousand dollars ($1,900,000), which is hereby ratified and reappropriated, the further sum of one and a half million dollars ($1,500,000) is hereby appropriated for the Land Authority, which additional amount shall be set aside by the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico, with a preferential character, out of the funds available in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and shall be covered into the general funds of the Authority.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 34; May 11, 1942, No. 197, p. 996, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter I - Appropriation of Funds (§§ 321 — 324) › § 323a - Investments in subsidiaries; recording of property transferred

The Authority may invest in its subsidiaries, to be devoted to the development and operation of their programs, such part of all the capital and resources held by the Authority as it deems necessary. All real estate and property rights which pass to the ownership of the subsidiary corporations and which appear recorded in the registries of Puerto Rico in the name of the Authority shall be recorded in the name of the subsidiary corporations determined by the Authority with no further requirement than the mandate of §§ 241 et seq. of this title and upon resolution of the Board, certified by the Secretary of the Authority and attested by a notary public.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, added as § 35B on June 30, 1955, No. 106, p. 622, § 8; June 27, 1958, No. 131, p. 315, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter II - Bonds of the People of Puerto Rico (§§ 341 — 342) › § 342 - Tax exemption of bonds of the People and the Land Authority

The bonds issued by virtue of this Article and of Article III of this Title are exempt from taxation by the Government of Puerto Rico and any political or municipal subdivision thereof.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 43, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter III - Bonds of the Land Authority (§§ 361 — 373) › § 361 - Power of Land Authority to issue bonds

The Authority is hereby empowered to issue from time to time bonds up to a sum equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the purchase price of the lands it may have acquired.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 44, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter III - Bonds of the Land Authority (§§ 361 — 373) › § 362 - Terms of bonds; sale; refunding bonds

Said bonds may be authorized by the Authority and they may be of such series; bear such date or dates; mature on such date or dates not later than forty (40) years after their respective dates; bear interest at such rate or rates not exceeding five percent (5%) per annum, payable semi-annually; may be of such denomination or denominations, and be in the form of coupon bonds or registered bonds; may have such registration or conversion privileges; may be executed in such form; may be payable in such form and in such place or places; be subject to such terms of redemption, with or without premium; may be declared or become due before the date of maturity; may provide for the reimbursement of mutilated, destroyed, stolen or lost bonds; may be authenticated in such form, after the conditions have been complied with, and contain such other terms and stipulations as may be deemed advisable. The bonds may be sold at public auction or in private, as the Authority may determine; Provided, That refunding bonds may be exchanged for outstanding bonds of the Authority, in accordance with such terms as the Authority may deem beneficial to the best interests thereof. Said bonds of the Authority shall be, and it shall be understood that they are at all times, negotiable instruments for all the purposes of the Uniform Negotiable Instruments Act in force in Puerto Rico, L.P.R.A. Title 19.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 45; May 15, 1950, No. 429, p. 1048, § 7, eff. July 1, 1950.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter III - Bonds of the Land Authority (§§ 361 — 373) › § 367 - Signatures; interim or provisional bonds

The bonds of the Authority bearing the signatures of the members or officials thereof who were holding office on the date on which said bonds were signed, shall be valid and shall constitute binding obligations even if, before the delivery and payment of said bonds, any or all the members or officials of the Authority whose signatures appear thereon shall have ceased as such members or officials of said Authority.
Pending the execution and delivery of the definitive bonds, interim or provisional bonds, receipts or certificates, may be issued, in such form and with such provisions as may be provided in the resolution or resolutions.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 50, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter III - Bonds of the Land Authority (§§ 361 — 373) › § 368 - Person executing bonds not responsible

Neither the members or officials of the Authority, nor any person executing the bonds, shall be personally responsible for them, nor shall they be subject to any responsibility by reason of the issuance of such bonds.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 51, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter III - Bonds of the Land Authority (§§ 361 — 373) › § 369 - Purchase and cancellation of bonds by Authority

The Authority is hereby empowered to purchase, with any funds available for the purpose, any of its outstanding bonds at a price not to exceed the amount of the principal thereof, or the regular redemption price thereof, plus accrued interest. All bonds so purchased shall be cancelled.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 52, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter III - Bonds of the Land Authority (§§ 361 — 373) › § 370 - Commonwealth not liable; funds for payment of bonds

The bonds to which this subchapter refers shall not constitute an indebtedness of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or of any of its municipalities or other political subdivisions, and neither the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico nor any of said municipalities or other political subdivisions shall be liable thereon, nor shall the bonds and other obligations be payable out of any funds other than those of the Authority or those indicated herein.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 53, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter III - Bonds of the Land Authority (§§ 361 — 373) › § 372 - Rights of bondholders

Every bondholder of the Authority, in addition to all other rights which may be conferred on him, and subject only to such contractual restrictions as may be binding upon him, shall have the right:
(a) By mandamus, suit, action or proceeding at law or in equity, to compel said Authority and the officers, agents or employees thereof to perform each and every term, provision and covenant contained in any contract of said Authority with or for the benefit of such bondholders, and to require the carrying out of any or all such covenants and agreements of said Authority and the fulfillment of all duties imposed thereon by §§ 241 et seq. of this title.
(b) By suit, action or proceeding in equity, to enjoin any acts or things which may be unlawful, or the violation of the rights of such bondholders of said Authority.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 55, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 33 - Finances (§§ 321 — 373) › Subchapter III - Bonds of the Land Authority (§§ 361 — 373) › § 373 - Real property of Authority and proportional-profit farms exempt from execution and sale; exceptions

All real property of the Authority and of the proportional-profit farms created under the Land Law of Puerto Rico shall be exempt from levy and sale under execution of judgment. No execution or other judicial proceeding shall issue against such property, nor shall any judgment against the Authority or the said proportional-profit farms constitute a levy; Provided, That the provisions of this section shall not apply to, nor limit the rights of bondholders, mortgagees or crop-loan creditors to foreclose or otherwise enforce any contract or mortgage executed by the Authority or the said proportional-profit farms prior to the effectiveness of this act, or executed hereafter; or the rights of bondholders, mortgagees, or crop-loan creditors to obtain remedies for the enforcement of any mortgage lien, crop loan, pledge, or other encumbrance established by the Authority or the said proportional-profit farms on their properties, rents, rights or revenues.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 56; May 11, 1942, No. 197, p. 996, § 13; May 8, 1948, No. 129, p. 294; May 28, 1954, No. 46, p. 260, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter I - Proceedings Under Land Law (§§ 401 — 407) › § 401 - Juridical person, corporation, and association, defined

For the purposes of §§ 241 et seq. of this title, the term “[juridical] person” shall refer to private corporations, limited companies, societies, partnerships, joint-stock companies, voluntary associations (including community partnerships), business trusts, Massachusetts trusts, common law trusts, and any other form of corporate organization, or any other organization, partnership or entity created for the purpose of carrying out transactions or attaining specific objectives, which continue to exist regardless of the changes made among its members or among the persons participating in them, and whose affairs are managed either by one person only, or by a committee, a board, or any other group of individuals acting in a representative capacity, and any other association which is a [juridical] person. The term “corporation” or “association” shall include any association or organization, or corporative association or organization already incorporated, organized or constituted in any state of the United States, a foreign nation or Puerto Rico. The term “[juridical] person” shall include all associations, regardless of the form, kind, denomination, character or nature, and all cooperatives, except proportional-profit farms as described, established and authorized by §§ 241 et seq. of this title.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 57; May 11, 1942, No. 197, p. 996, § 14, eff. 90 days after May 11, 1942.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter I - Proceedings Under Land Law (§§ 401 — 407) › § 403 - Institution of proceedings; evidence

It shall be the duty of the Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico to institute proper actions or proceedings against any [juridical] person engaged in agriculture in Puerto Rico which holds, controls or possesses, whether directly or through the instrumentality of any natural or [juridical] person, land in excess of five hundred (500) acres, or when there is reason to believe that such instrumentalities have been created and are utilized in a simulated or covert manner to violate and evade the above-mentioned land restriction; and the courts, upon substantiating such actions, shall have full discretion to receive evidence and to look beyond the form into the actual merits and essence of the case, taking into account the fundamental purpose of §§ 241 et seq. of this title and the public emergency which exists of preventing that the said restriction of land tenure be directly or indirectly infringed or violated.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 59, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter I - Proceedings Under Land Law (§§ 401 — 407) › § 404 - Juridical persons considered engaged in agriculture

There shall be considered as engaged in agriculture in Puerto Rico any [juridical] person which, directly or indirectly, plants, cultivates or harvests, or permits the planting, cultivating or harvesting of, agricultural products on lands belonging thereto, or held, owned or controlled thereby, as well as those which hold, possess or control, or are the owners of, lands devoted or that may be devoted to the planting, cultivating or harvesting of, agricultural products, or to any operation, activity or process relating to agriculture.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 60, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter I - Proceedings Under Land Law (§§ 401 — 407) › § 405 - Penalties for concealing ownership, etc

Any natural person making itself [sic] to appear as partner, shareholder, or owner, or holder of lands so as to conceal or serve as an instrument to an [juridical] person in violating the provisions restricting land tenure to five hundred (500) acres, or in violating §§ 241 et seq. of this title, shall be guilty of a felony and shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for a term of from two (2) to ten (10) years, [at] the discretion of the court; and the lands of such [juridical] person actually possessing the title which it has been attempted to hide or conceal shall revert to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and it shall be so pronounced in the judgment. Any individual forming part of an [juridical] person, or acting as agent or in representation of an [juridical] person, whenever such [juridical] person has been created for the express or implicit purpose of concealing the acquisition, alienation, holding, possession or exploitation of land in excess of five hundred (500) acres, or any [juridical] person directly or indirectly barred from so holding, or any person forming part of an [juridical] person actually concealing the acquisition, alienation, holding, possession or exploitation of land in excess of five hundred (500) acres, or who in any wise shall deliberately lend himself as an instrument to violate the agrarian policy set forth in §§ 241 et seq. of this title, shall be guilty of a felony and shall upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for a term of from two (2) to ten (10) years, [at] the discretion of the court; and the lands of such [juridical] persons which he may have thus attempted to conceal, shall revert to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and it shall be so pronounced in the judgment.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 61, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter I - Proceedings Under Land Law (§§ 401 — 407) › § 406 - Void contracts; agricultural partnerships

Any conveyance of land by an [juridical] person as this term is defined in §§ 241 et seq. of this title, executed after this act takes effect, for the purpose of evading the provisions and purposes hereof, and all contracts for extension of time executed by agricultural partnerships holding over five hundred (500) acres of land after this act takes effect, shall be null and void, without need of judicial declaration to that effect; Provided, however, That in the case of agricultural partnerships holding over five hundred (500) acres of land, against which judgment by consent has been entered by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico in proceedings instituted by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for their dissolution, and which, by reason of such judgment by consent, may have entered into negotiations with the Land Authority of Puerto Rico for the sale of their properties to said governmental agency, such partnerships may, with the consent of the Land Authority of Puerto Rico, extend their partnership contract for a term which in no case shall exceed two (2) years. The constitution, subsequent to the effective date of this act, of new agricultural partnerships holding land in excess of five hundred (500) acres shall be null without intervention of judicial declaration therefor.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 62; May 11, 1942, No. 197, p. 996, § 15; May 15, 1947, No. 482, p. 1090.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter I - Proceedings Under Land Law (§§ 401 — 407) › § 407 - Self-incrimination of witnesses

No person may refuse to appear as witness for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in any civil or criminal action instituted in compliance with the provisions of §§ 241 et seq. of this title under the pretext that his deposition might incriminate him, but the deposition thus made shall not be used against him in any proceeding or action, except such civil actions as may arise from the provisions of §§ 241 et seq. of this title or of any statute regulating land tenure.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 63, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter II - Exclusive Jurisdiction of Supreme Court (§ 421) › § 421 - Quo warranto and other pertinent proceedings

There is hereby conferred upon the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico exclusive original jurisdiction to take cognizance of all quo warranto proceedings or any other pertinent proceedings that the Government of Puerto Rico may hereafter institute for violation of the provisions of § 752, Title 48, United States Code, and of the Land Law of Puerto Rico of 1941 in the matter of the holding of lands, and for that purpose it is provided that the violation of said provisions by any [juridical] person, as the term [juridical] person was defined by § 401 of this title, shall constitute sufficient cause to institute a proceeding of the nature of quo warranto or any other pertinent proceeding.
History —July 22, 1935, No. 33, p. 418, § 1; May 9, 1942, No. 172, p. 892, § 2, eff. 90 days after May 9, 1942.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter III - Penal Provisions (§§ 431 — 435) › § 431 - Illegal acts or contracts

Every act or contract which in any form impairs, affects, or violates the provisions contained in § 3 of the Joint Resolution of the Congress of the United States, approved May 1, 1900, regarding the purchase, sale, or possession of real property, shall be illegal.
History —Aug. 7, 1935, No. 48, p. 536, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter III - Penal Provisions (§§ 431 — 435) › § 432 - Penalty against corporation

Every corporation which openly, fraudulently, or by misrepresentation, or in any way acquires lands in violation of the provisions of § 3 of the Joint Resolution of the Congress of the United States, approved May 1, 1900, regarding the purchase, sale, or possession of real property, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall be punished by a minimum fine of five hundred dollars ($500) and a maximum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
History —Aug. 7, 1935, No. 48, p. 536, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter III - Penal Provisions (§§ 431 — 435) › § 433 - Penalty against persons

Every person who, in any character, as official, notary, agent, intermediary, or otherwise, knowingly and with the deliberate purpose of violating the provisions of § 3 of the Joint Resolution of the Congress of the United States, approved May 1, 1900, regarding the purchase, sale, or possession of lands, directly or indirectly participates in any act or contract which in any way impairs, affects, or violates said provisions of the aforesaid Joint Resolution, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a maximum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment in jail for a maximum term of one (1) year, or by both penalties, [at] the discretion of the court.
History —Aug. 7, 1935, No. 48, p. 536, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter III - Penal Provisions (§§ 431 — 435) › § 434 - Penalty for acquiring land for benefit of corporation; confiscation

Every person who, by misrepresentation, acquires lands in his own name, for the use and benefit of any corporation, in violation of the provisions of § 3 of the Joint Resolution of the Congress of the United States, of May 1, 1900, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) nor less than one hundred dollars ($100), or by imprisonment in jail for a term of not less than three (3) months nor more than one (1) year. The conviction of such person shall entail the confiscation of the property so acquired or held for the benefit of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, upon payment by the latter of a reasonable compensation.
History —Aug. 7, 1935, No. 48, p. 536, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 35 - Illegal Land Holding by Corporations (500-Acre Law) › Subchapter III - Penal Provisions (§§ 431 — 435) › § 435 - Cognizance of cases

The Court of First Instance of Puerto Rico is hereby vested with exclusive original jurisdiction to hear, try, and decide all cases of violation of § 431—435 of this title, without right to a trial by jury.
History —Aug. 7, 1935, No. 48, p. 536, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 37 - Proportional Profit Farms (Title IV of Land Law) › Subchapter I - Leases (§§ 461 — 463) › § 461 - Lease of proportional profit farms—Rights and responsibilities

The Authority shall be empowered to lease lands in parcels of from one hundred (100) to five hundred (500) acres to farmers, agronomists or other persons experienced in agricultural management who shall meet the qualifications hereinafter prescribed, in farms to be known as “proportional profit farms”; Provided, however, That the lessees of said proportional profit farms shall not be individually liable for payment of the stipulated rent or for the moneys to raise crops on lands under lease, or for any other obligation. But they shall, however, be liable for the property and the funds expressly placed by the Authority under their custody; and they shall give bond conditioned on the faithful accounting for all funds or properties handled by them, in such amount as the Authority may determine. Said bond shall be enforceable for the benefit of both the Authority and the laborers working on the farm.
For the purposes of a more efficient operation and a more equitable distribution of the profits returned by the enterprise, each proportional profit farm shall operate subdivided into such number of administrative units as, in the judgment of the Authority, should be established. Each administrative unit shall operate independently of the other administrative units of the farm in everything concerning agricultural operations, costs, accounting, and determination and distribution of profits returned; but if any administrative unit of a farm shall sustain losses, the latter shall be absorbed by the other administrative units of the said farm which may return profits.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 64; May 11, 1942, No. 197, p. 996, § 16; May 9, 1950, No. 263, p. 684; May 28, 1954, No. 46, p. 260, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 37 - Proportional Profit Farms (Title IV of Land Law) › Subchapter I - Leases (§§ 461 — 463) › § 462 - Lease of proportional profit farms—Definitions

Lessee. — As used in Title IV of this act, shall be understood the person designated to take charge of the administration of a proportional profit farm, and said term, therefore, does not carry with it the legal meaning of “lessee” contemplated in § 4031 of Title 31; Provided, That in every contract that may hereafter be executed for the administration of a proportional profit farm, as provided in Title IV of this act, the person designated to carry out said administration shall be known as and shall be called “the administrator” of said farm.
Lease contract. — As used in Title IV of this act, shall be understood the contract for the administration of a proportional profit farm, and said term, therefore, does not carry with it the legal meaning of “lease contract”, contemplated in §§ 4011—1014 of Title 31; Provided, That every contract that may hereafter be executed for the administration of a proportional profit farm, as provided in Title IV of this act, shall be known and designated as the “administration contract” of said farm.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, added as § 64A on Apr. 4, 1946, No. 273, p. 572.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 37 - Proportional Profit Farms (Title IV of Land Law) › Subchapter II - Operation of the Farms (§§ 481 — 491) › § 481 - Qualifications

The lessee of a proportional profit farm shall meet the requirements prescribed by the Authority.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 66; June 27, 1958, No. 131, p. 315, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 37 - Proportional Profit Farms (Title IV of Land Law) › Subchapter II - Operation of the Farms (§§ 481 — 491) › § 482 - Management by Land Authority

During any period in which the Authority may have to administer directly a proportional profit farm because of the expiration of the lease, or for any other reason, the laborers shall continue to receive the same benefits as if the farm were under the management of a lessee, including those laborers who may have parcels of said farm in usufruct, both as regards said parcels and as regards salaries, wages or advances and the proportional part of the net profits of the farm corresponding to each one.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 67, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 37 - Proportional Profit Farms (Title IV of Land Law) › Subchapter II - Operation of the Farms (§§ 481 — 491) › § 483 - Increase in size of farm

In those cases in which the Authority may deem it convenient for a higher productive efficiency, it may direct that any proportional profit farm be larger than five hundred (500) acres.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 68, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-EIGHT - Public Lands (§§ 1 — 737) › PART II - Land Authority (§§ 241 — 512) › Chapter 37 - Proportional Profit Farms (Title IV of Land Law) › Subchapter II - Operation of the Farms (§§ 481 — 491) › § 484 - Financing of crop; termination of contract

The Authority may, without being so obliged, finance the crop of the lessee, and both the Authority and the lessee may terminate the lease according to the conditions fixed for the purpose in the contract.
History —Apr. 12, 1941, No. 26, p. 388, § 69, eff. 90 days after Apr. 12, 1941.