2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THIRTEEN - Taxation and Finance (§§ 1 — 33423) › Subtitle 1 - Governmental Finances (§§ 1 — 155) › Chapter 1 - Treasury Funds and Accounts (§§ 1 — 17) › § 17 - Puerto Rico Economic and Social Support Fund

(a) The Puerto Rico Economic and Social Support Fund is hereby created under the custody of the Office of Management and Budget.
(b) This Fund may receive legislative, municipal, federal and private donations and the matching or combination of said funds shall be allowed.
(c) To begin its operations, the fund shall receive an initial appropriation of three million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($3,250,000) to be transferred from the Insurance Industry Supervision and Regulation Fund.
(d) Any appropriation originating from this Fund, or any surplus therefrom resulting from a line veto by the Governor, or any available amount, shall be appropriated by means of Joint Resolutions approved by the Legislative Assembly. It is herein established that this provision shall not be violated by any Governing Board or by any other instrumentality or entity of the government.
(e) The sum of three million two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($3,250,000) originating from the Puerto Rico Economic and Social Support Fund shall be allocated to the different government agencies as provided below:
(1) Council on Higher Education
a. To grant scholarships and financial aid
to qualifying students, excepting students
from the University of Puerto Rico. 2,000,000
(2) Sports and Recreation Department
a. To transfer to the Puerto Rico Olympic
Committee as part of the matching of
funds program and strengthening of high
performance sports training. This includes
equipping and reconditioning facilities and
the new responsibility of the Youth Olympics
delegation sponsored by the International
Olympics Committee and the technical
program of the Albergue Olmpico Schools 400,000
b. For improvements to the park at the
1ra Extension of Levittown, Toa Baja. 150,000
Subtotal $ 550,000
(3) Mental Health and Addiction Services Administration
a. To defray operating expenses of the UPENS.
Foundation 100,000
(4) Puerto Rico Statistics Institute
a. To defray operating expenses. -0-
(5) Energy Affairs Administration
a. To defray operating expenses. -0-
(6) Institute of Puerto Rican Culture
a. To defray operating expenses of
the Contemporary Art Museum. -0-
(7) Fine Arts Center Corporation
a. To defray expenses of the Modern
Art Museum. 400,000
(8) Appropriation under the custody of the Office
of Management and Budget.
a. “Consulta con el Pueblo.” -0-
b. To settle the debt with the Department of
Transportation and Public Works regarding
the Ownership of the land where the North
and Sports Stations of the Tren Urbano are
located.
Subtotal -0-
(9) Office of the Commissioner of Municipal Affairs
a. For the construction of works and capital
Improvements in the Municipality of Yabucoa. 100,000
b. For works and improvements at the Villa
Pesquera, Islote Ward, Jareadito Sector in
the Municipality of Arecibo. -0-
c. For the development of cultural, arts and sports
projects in the Municipality of Ponce. 100,000
Subtotal $200,000
Grand Total $3,250,000
(f) The contracting with municipal governments, private contractors as well as with any department, agency or corporation of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for the development of the purposes of subsection (e) of this section is hereby authorized.
(g) The budget appropriations of this Joint Resolution for the agencies of the Executive Branch included in this Resolution whose budget is defrayed in whole or in part with charge to the General Fund shall not be reimbursed nor used for salary raises or other financial benefits during fiscal year 2010-2011, regardless of the legal source of said raises. These appropriations shall not be disbursed nor used for the annual monetary liquidation of sick leaves accrued in excess; said leaves accrued in excess may be liquidated as authorized by the appointing authority, through the enjoyment of accrued days. During the effective term of this Joint Resolution, salary raises and other economic benefits and the annual monetary liquidation of sick leaves accrued in excess are hereby cancelled in those agencies of the Executive Branch included in this Resolution whose budget is defrayed in whole or in part with charge to the General Fund. The cancellation of salary raises and other economic benefits provided in this subsection may only be altered in circumstances in which said raises are extremely necessary, upon previous identification of funds by the concerned agency, and the express authorization of the Office of the Management and Budget.
(h) During the effective term of this Joint Resolution, and as a general rule for the responsible disbursement of budget appropriations for operating expenses and others, the Office of the Management and Budget may retain from the appropriations for the agencies of the Executive Branch included in this Resolution and whose budget is defrayed in whole or in part with charge to the General Fund, the amounts needed for the payment of contributions to the retirement systems, unemployment insurance, tax withheld from employees, electric power service, aqueducts and sewers service and the payments for leases of the agencies, when it determines that this withholding is necessary to assure compliance with these obligations by the concerned agencies.
(i) The funds appropriated in subsection (e) of this section may be matched with federal, state and/or municipal funds.
History —Aug. 1, 2010, No. 119, §§ 1—4, 6—10.