reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 19 - Puerto Rico Typical Dress (§§ 451 — 455) › § 454 - Display of model; information

After one hundred and twenty (120) days have elapsed from the effective date of this act, the Agricultural Extension Service of the University of Puerto Rico shall prepare an exhibit of the model of our typical dress, and keep it open to the public during reasonable hours, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. After this same date, the entity will also make available to the public, information and illustrations of the design and history of the typical Puerto Rican dress, and will take the necessary steps so that the patterns for the dress in the different sizes will be readily available.
History —Apr. 19, 1983, No. 21, p. 36, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 19 - Puerto Rico Typical Dress (§§ 451 — 455) › § 455 - Exclusiveness

No dress or design that does not meet the specifications and requirements indicated in this chapter shall be considered as the typical Puerto Rican dress.
History —Apr. 19, 1983, No. 21, p. 36, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 458 - Definitions

(a) Government.— The Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that includes all its departments, agencies, instrumentalities, offices, commissions, branches, and public corporations.
(b) Governor.— The Chief Executive of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(c) Agency.— Every department, bureau, administration, office, commission, citizens’ commission, examining board, body, authority, entity, public corporation and subsidiaries thereof, instrumentality or institution of the Executive Branch of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including the main office of the Governor.
(d) Public corporation.— Every public corporation of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(e) Transition.— The process of change of the Government administration that is initiated after the general election in which the outgoing administration has the responsibility of furnishing to the incoming administration all pertinent information on the status of all public agencies and corporations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, regardless of whether both Government administrations are of the same political party.
(f) Transition report of the Executive Branch.— The document on the status of the agencies and public corporations of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that the outgoing head of every agency must present to the Incoming Transition Committee.
(g) Incoming Government Transition Committee.— The group of persons designated by the Governor elect to direct the work of the transition process.
(h) Outgoing Government Transition Committee.— The group of public officials automatically summoned by §§ 458—477 of this title to coordinate the delivery of information on the Government to the Incoming Transition Committee.
(i) Transition report oath.— Every affirmation, statement, or certification made by a public official regarding the true and correct content of a transition report that is issued under his/her signature before a notary public or person legally authorized to take oaths.
(j) Commonwealth Election Commission.— The body that is primarily responsible for planning, organizing, structuring, directing, and supervising all electoral procedures in Puerto Rico, created by virtue of §§ 3001 et seq. of Title 16, known as “Puerto Rico Electoral Act.”
(k) Privileged business information.— All information on the business of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to which a person would normally have no access, unless he/she is a public official or a member of the Incoming Transition Committee.
(l) Perjury.— The crime of perjury as it is typified in § 4902 of Title 33.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 459 - Inventory of agency property

(a) Each Secretary or head of an agency and of a public corporation shall present to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, on or before October 31 of the election year, a detailed report with an inventory and description of the property assigned to each agency, whose cost of acquisition is greater than five hundred dollars ($500).
(b) Secretaries, heads of agencies, departments or public corporations of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall submit their respective inventories at the offices of the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury [sic].
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 460 - Effectiveness of the transition process

(a) The transition process of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall commence on the fourth day after the general election is held.
(b) The transition process of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall conclude on or before December 31 of the year the election is held.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 461 - Obligation of the Governor and heads of agencies

(a) The outgoing Governor, all Secretaries or heads of all agencies, and all the directors of all public corporations (in office or acting) of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, have the obligation and ministerial duty of participating in the transition process of the Government.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 462 - Outgoing Transition Committee—Procedure to comply with the provisions of §§ 458—477 of this title

(a) If the Outgoing Transition Committee refuses to meet or comply with the provisions of §§ 458—477 of this title, the Governor elect may file a mandamus before the Supreme Court to compel the Outgoing Transition Committee to meet, or to comply with the provisions of §§ 458—477 of this title.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 463 - Outgoing Transition Committee—Creation

(a) The Outgoing Transition Committee, pursuant to §§ 458—477 of this title, shall be automatically constituted on the fourth working day after the general election is held and its members shall be those indicated in § 464(a) of this title.
(b) An Outgoing Transition Committee shall be automatically constituted in every agency, department, or public corporation of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on the fourth day after the general elections are held.
(c) The Governor-elect shall designate an Incoming Transition Committee not later than the fourth day after the general election is held.
(d) The Incoming Transition Committee shall have juridical personality, may sue and be sued, and may contract services for the transition process.
(e) The incoming Governor may appoint Transition Subcommittees by specific areas of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for them to participate in the transition process. The Transition Subcommittees shall function, exclusively, as advisory groups of the Incoming Transition Committee.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 464 - Outgoing Transition Committee—Composition

(a) The following officials shall comprise the Outgoing Government Transition Committee: the Secretary of State; Secretary to the Government; the Secretary of Justice; the Secretary of the Treasury; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; the Chairman of the Government Development Bank, the Chairman of the Planning Board, and the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works. The outgoing Governor may appoint up to three additional officials, at his/her discretion, to complete the Outgoing Transition Committee.
(b) The Transition Committees of the agencies and public corporations of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, shall be composed of the following officials: the secretary or head of the agency; the executive director of the public corporation; the deputy secretary of the agency, the deputy secretary of the public corporation, the director of finances; the director of human resources; and the director of the property of each agency and public corporation.
(c) The Secretary of State shall be the Chairperson of the Outgoing Transition Committee. He/she shall designate or request by outsourcing of other agencies, the personnel needed to comply with the purposes of §§ 458—477 of this title.
(d) The Governor elect may designate up to ten (10) members for the Incoming Transition Committee.
(e) The incoming Governor shall appoint a Chairperson of the Incoming Transition Committee.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 465 - Transition reports—Content and format

(a) The transition reports of the agencies of the Government Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall have to include, but without being limited to, the following information and documents:
(1) A detailed description and status of the personnel: number of permanent, transitory and confidential employees. A list of positions and vacancies indicating classes, ranks and salaries of the positions. All of which, without including the names of the employees.
(2) Copy of the classification and compensation plan of the agency or public corporation proposed and in effect.
(3) Status and plans of each of the administrative units of the agencies of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(4) Financial status of the agencies with a copy of all audits performed by any public or private entity, as provided in the “Puerto Rico Government Accounting Act”, §§ 283—283p of Title 3.
(5) Detailed description and status of the investment portfolios of the public corporations.
(6) Copy of the inventory of the property of every agency or public corporation as required in § 459 of this title.
(7) Detailed description and status of all judicial actions in which the agency or public corporation is a party to and are pending in the courts of Puerto Rico and the United States.
(8) Detailed description of the competitive bidding procedures in process, and awarded during the last three (3) months, in each agency and public corporation of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(9) Compilation of all regulations, memoranda, circular letters, and norms proper to the agency or public corporation, in effect at the time of the transition.
(10) A list of all laws approved that affect the agencies and whose partial or total effect shall occur during the period comprised between November 1 of the election year and December 31 of the following year.
(11) Copy of the Corrective Action Plans required by the Office of the Comptroller.
(12) A list and copy of all contracts in effect at the moment of the transition.
(13) All transition reports shall have a title, an index, all pages shall be numbered, and all exhibits or complementary documents shall be properly identified. All transition reports shall be furnished in a format that will allow a speedy transfer to the Internet.
(14) Any other information or document may be required which, by agreement of the Chairs of the Incoming and Outgoing Transition Committees, must be disclosed.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 466 - Transition reports—Oath and date

(a) Every Secretary, heads of agencies and of public corporations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall issue a transition report under his/her signature, and under oath. The transition report oath shall be administered by any notary or person authorized by law to administer oaths.
(b) The transition reports of all agencies and public corporations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be completed and delivered to the office of the Secretary of State on or before October 31 of the election year.
(c) The transition reports shall be updated and complemented in order for the Secretary, head of agency or director of the public corporation who appears at the hearings of the transition process, may furnish the most recent information on the current situation of the entity or instrumentality he/she directs. This updated report shall also be under oath as provided by subsection (a) of this section.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 467 - Transition process—Seat

(a) The Department of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be the seat of the transition process of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(b) The Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall arrange for the space needed to hold the transition process hearings, and another space for the Executive Director of the Transition Process.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 468 - Transition process—Executive Director

The Chairperson of the Incoming Transition Committee of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall designate an Executive Director of the Transition Process of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Executive Director shall have the functions assigned by the Chair of the Incoming Transition Committee to comply with the purposes of §§ 458—477 of this title, as well as the following responsibilities:
(a) The Executive Director shall receive the transition reports of the agencies from the Outgoing Secretary of State, and shall certify their date of receipt, and that they comply with the provisions of §§ 458—477 of this title.
(b) The Executive Director shall have the responsibility of organizing the storage of transition reports in the Department of State, and make them available for examination by the communications media of the country.
(c) The Executive Director shall be responsible for making the transition documents available to the citizens through the Internet.
(d) The Executive Director shall be the custodian of the keys of the offices, vehicles, equipment, and any other material that have been assigned to be used in the transition process.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 469 - Sessions

(a) Both incoming and outgoing transition committees of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall meet in the Department of State.
(b) The sessions of the transition process shall have the format of public hearing in which the Secretaries or heads of agency, and heads of departments and public corporations shall answer the questions of the members of the Incoming Government Transition Committee.
(c) The Sessions shall be held on such days and hours as agreed upon by the Chair of the Incoming Transition Committee and the Chair of the Outgoing Transition Committee.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 13.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 470 - Publicity

(a) The communications media and the citizens shall have access to the transition committees’ sessions.
(b) The only occasions that the communications media shall not have access shall be when any information deemed privileged or confidential is discussed, as provided in § 471 of this title.
(c) The communications media of the country shall have access to all the transition documents of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, except those that are denominated as privileged or confidential as established in § 471 of this title.
(d) The Secretary of State shall include special provisions on the publicity of the sessions and of the documents of the transition process in the regulations that shall be approved pursuant to the provisions of § 476 of this title.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 14.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 471 - Confidential documents and information

(a) Any information and/or document whose disclosure is prohibited by any other laws in effect, or that affects the rights of third parties and investigations in process shall be deemed to be confidential.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 15.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 472 - Responsibilities of the members

(a) The members of the Incoming Transition Committee of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and of the Incoming Transition Subcommittees, shall not have any direct or indirect financial interest.
(b) No person who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that involves moral turpitude; or any crime whose conviction disqualifies a person to contract with the Government, as established by § 928b of Title 3, shall be a member of the Incoming Transition Committee or of any Incoming Transition Subcommittee.
(c) Nor may any person who has a tax debt and has no current installment payment plan for the same shall be a member of the Incoming Transition Committee.
(d) The members of the Incoming Transition Committee and of any Incoming Transition Subcommittee shall sign a confidentiality agreement in which they guarantee that they shall not disclose any information received during the performance of their functions with the purpose of benefiting from it or benefiting a third party.
(e) The members of the Incoming Transition Committee shall have the continuing duty of informing the Chairperson of the Committee if any conflict of interest or any other situation arises during the course of his/her endeavors that could violate any of the provisions of §§ 458—477 of this title. If any member of the Incoming Transition Committee discovers during the course of the process that he/she has any conflict of interest, he/she shall immediately inform it to [sic] the Chairperson of the Incoming Transition Committee and shall disqualify him/herself from participating in the matters related to the conflict of interest.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 16.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 473 - Final report

(a) Upon conclusion of the transition process, the Incoming Transition Committee shall draft a written report entitled “Final Report of the Transition Process”.
(b) The Final Report of the Transition Process shall include the most important and significant aspects of the information obtained during the transition process.
(c) The format of the Final Report of the Transition Process shall be similar to that of the transition reports.
(d) The Incoming Transition Committee shall render the Final Report of the Transition Process to the incoming Governor and to the outgoing Governor no later than seven (7) days after the conclusion of the transition process, which must conclude no later than December 31 of the election year. The Incoming Transition Committee shall also publish this Final Report on the Internet in order to enable its access to the citizenry and interested persons.
(e) The Incoming Transition Committee shall also remit a copy of the Final Report on the Transition Process, no later than seven (7) days after the Governor takes office, to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and to the Comptroller of Puerto Rico.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 17.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 474 - Electoral recount

(a) In the event that the Commonwealth Election Commission orders a recount for the position of Governor, the transition process shall not be paralyzed and shall be carried out as established in §§ 458—477 of this title.
(b) In the event of an electoral recount, the Outgoing Transition Committee and the committees of all the agencies and public corporations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be constituted by the members provided in §§ 458—477 of this title and shall have the same duties and obligations as if no electoral recount is taking place.
(c) In the event of an electoral recount, the candidate for Governor other than the incumbent, who has obtained the majority of votes, shall appoint his/her Transition Committee not later than two working days after the general election is held, as established in §§ 458—477 of this title.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 18.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 476 - Regulations

(a) The Department of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall approve regulations for the adequate implementation of §§ 458—477 of this title. The regulations shall be approved no later than December 31 of the year prior to the general elections in Puerto Rico.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 20.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 20 - Transitional Process of Government (§§ 456 — 477) › § 477 - Prohibition of appointments

(a) The secretaries, and the agency, department and public corporation chiefs shall not carry out personnel transactions that involve the essential areas of the principle of merit, pursuant to the provisions set forth in Section 4.7 of Act No. 5 of October 14, 1975, as amended, known as the Public Service Personnel Act, during the transition period.
(b) It is the duty of the Central Office for Labor Assessment and Human Resources Administration to supervise and oversee compliance with the prohibition on carrying out personnel actions that involve the areas essential to the merit principle and others set forth by law.
History —Aug. 18, 2002, No. 197, § 22; Aug. 5, 2004, No. 201, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 502 - Prohibitions

It is hereby prohibited that any natural or juridical person who, on his/her own or through another, prevents, obstructs, limits, or excludes a person with disabilities from participating, being part or enjoying any of the programs or activities organized, sponsored, operated, implemented, administered or otherwise directed or conducted by any public and private institution, at any educational level, regardless of whether or not it receives financial resources of the Commonwealth.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, § 2; Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 3; July 30, 2007, No. 91, § 1; Aug. 13, 2008, No. 259, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 503 - Exclusions allowed

The public or private institutions which receive funds from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico may impose exclusions, requirements or conditions based on physical or mental disabilities only when said requirements have a direct relationship to the activity that is to be carried out.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, § 3; Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 504 - Planning programs, activities, etc

In determining the types of programs, activities, benefits, services or facilities that public or private institutions shall offer to the public, they shall not establish, adopt, incorporate or use criteria, norms, conditions, mechanisms or administrative methods the purpose or effect of which is to discriminate against persons with some type of physical or mental disability.
—July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, § 4; Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 5.
History
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 505 - Employment

Private or public institutions shall not practice, put into effect or use discriminatory employment procedures, methods, or practices against persons with any kind of physical, mental or sensory disability just for the sake of said handicap. This prohibition includes the recruitment, compensation, fringe benefits, reasonable accommodation and access facilities, seniority, participation in training programs, promotion or any other term, condition or privilege in the employment. The application for employment or service shall not demand the applicant to indicate if he/she has or has previously had any physical, mental or sensory disability. Doing so, shall create a presumption that said entity does discriminate because of disability and shall have the burden of proof to prove otherwise should a complaint be brought against the entity, as established in § 509 of this title.
An employer may ask whether a candidate has a disability when the latter is required to take a performance test that is required for all applicants in order to be considered for the position applied for. In all other cases in which a test of this nature is not required, the candidate shall not be asked whether he/she has a disability until he/she has been offered and has accepted the position, and he/she may only be asked for reasonable accomodation purposes. Furthermore, the following actions shall also be deemed to be discriminatory practices, without being limited thereto:
(1) To execute agreements, contracts or subcontracts with third party, to perpetuate, limit, segregate or classify a job applicant or employee in such a manner that he/she is not hired or promoted in his/her job.
(2) To exclude or deny or otherwise prevent a qualified person, with or without a disability, from obtaining benefits or a job due to his/her association with or relationship to a person who has a disability or is associated with a person who suffers from a disability even when he/she does not have said disability.
(3) To deny employment to a qualified person with physical, mental, or sensory limitations when this denial is based on the intention of not providing reasonable accommodations.
The Disabled Persons Investigating Official is hereby empowered to draft regulations to enforce the provisions of this section.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, § 5; Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 505a - Timed testing

Any employer who demands a timed test as a prerequisite to fill a position, shall grant any person with a physical, mental, or sensory disability who, due to the nature of his/her disability, requires a reader, sign interpreter or assistant in order to carry out said test, the additional time said person may need to complete it.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, added as § 6 on Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 506 - Affirmative measures

No person with a physical, mental, or sensory disability may be deprived from receiving the benefits of a program when the physical facilities of the public or private institution are inaccessible; Provided, That in that case, the institutions concerned shall take the affirmative measures needed to eliminate the physical, structural or other conditions which make the facilities inaccessible.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, § 6, renumbered as § 7 and amended on Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 507a - Workplace

The Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, its agencies and instrumentalities, public or quasi-public corporations, municipalities, and those private enterprises mentioned in § 509 of this title, and which employ twenty-five (25) or more persons, and those which employ fifteen (15) or more persons as of July 26, 1994, regardless of whether or not they receive financial resources from the Commonwealth, shall be bound to carry out reasonable accommodations in the workplace in order to ensure that qualified disabled persons will be allowed to work effectively and to the maximum of their productivity, except when the employer is able to prove that such reasonable accommodations would represent an extremely onerous burden for the enterprise in financial terms.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, added as § 9 on Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 508 - Educational institutions

Public or private institutions that offer and render higher education services may not discriminate against qualified disabled persons with physical, mental or sensory limitations; Provided, That they must make the arrangements and adopt those affirmative measures which shall insure an equal educational opportunity to students with physical, mental, or sensory disabilities. To those effects it is provided that:
(a) They must not limit the number of persons with physical, mental, or sensory disabilities that may be admitted.
(b) They must not use tests that discriminate against persons with physical, mental, or sensory disabilities.
(c) They shall not carry out pre-admission investigations with regard to a person with physical, mental, or sensory disabilities, except to correct the effects of past discrimination or to combat the effects of conditions that limit participation.
(d) They shall not use any test or admission criteria which has a substantially adverse effect on persons with physical, mental, or sensory disabilities, unless it has been validated as a forecaster of academic success, and when there are no alternate tests available.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, § 8, renumbered as § 10 and amended on Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 509 - Rules and regulations; procedures

The Disabled Persons Investigating Official shall provide, through regulations, for everything pertinent to the implementation of this act within the one hundred and eighty (180) days that follow the effective date thereof, and its dispositions shall take effect once the same have been approved by the Governor of Puerto Rico. The Disabled Persons Investigating Official is likewise empowered to impose administrative fines up to a maximum amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000), after due notice and hearing, on any natural or juridical person who violates the provisions of this chapter.
Any person with a physical, mental, or sensory disability who, for the mere fact of such disability, has been subjected to discrimination by any public or private institution, may present a complaint before the Disabled Persons Investigating Official, on his own, or through his parents, tutor, or legal representative, against the public or private institution in question, or its director, dean, or administrator.
The Disabled Persons Investigating Official, or the person upon whom he delegates, may, upon prior notice and hearing, resort to the competent Part of the Court of First Instance for jurisdictional support for the latter to issue a cease and desist order, as well as other corrective orders which, according to the evidence presented and the applicable statutes, may be in order.
He may also, if he deems it proper and convenient in the best public interest, present a report with due justification, before the Legislature of Puerto Rico, a report recommending that no public funds be appropriated to the public or private institution that violates this chapter.
The party which is affected adversely by the decision of the Disabled Persons Investigating Official, may request him to reconsider his decision pursuant to the procedures established by §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act”.
Any decision handed down on a reconsideration request may be judicially reviewed within the terms, and pursuant to the procedures established by the aforementioned sections.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, § 9, renumbered as § 11 and amended on Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 510 - Employers, regulations

Public and private institutions that are subject to the provisions of this chapter shall adopt or amend the necessary regulations to comply with the provisions of this chapter.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, added as § 12 on Dec. 20, 1991, No. 105, § 14; July 30, 2007, No. 91, § 3; Aug. 13, 2008, No. 259, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 511 - Compliance with provisions

The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources shall supervise compliance of this chapter in all that concerns employment, together with the Advocate for Disabled Persons.
The remedies, powers, authority and procedures established in §§ 146, 147, 147a, 148, and 149 of Title 29 shall be available to the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources and to any person who understands that he/she has been discriminated against in the workplace because of his/her disability, in violation of the provisions of §§ 501 et seq. of this title.
The agencies empowered to enforce this chapter, the Department of Labor and Human Resources and the Office of the Advocate for Disabled Persons, shall develop procedures to ensure that administrative complaints filed pursuant to §§ 501 et seq. of this title are handled in such a way as to avoid a duplication of efforts and to prevent the imposition of inconsistent or conflictive measures under the same provisions of §§ 501 et seq. of this title. These administrative agencies shall establish coordinating mechanisms through special regulations to such effects no later than six (6) months after the approval of this act. These initial regulations shall not be subject to the provisions of §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, but any amendment, renewal, or adoption of new regulations shall comply with the provisions thereof.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, added as § 13 on Aug. 30, 1992, No. 53, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 511a - Interpretation

This chapter shall be construed in the manner most beneficial to persons with disabilities. All government branches and natural or juridical persons, on interpreting this legislation, shall use a liberal, nonrestrictive interpretation. The use, as a precedent to reduce the scope of the rights of persons with disabilities, of any decision of a federal court or administrative agency that interprets or has interpreted the Federal Public Law of July 26, 1990, known as the Americans with Disabilities Act, in a restrictive manner and against the interests of persons with disabilities, is hereby precluded.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, added as § 14 on Sept. 16, 2004, No. 355, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21 - Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Prohibited (§§ 501 — 511b) › § 511b - Decisions

The use of a decision of any administrative agency of the United States of America that implements benefits in a restrictive manner, or that restricts the scope of the rights of persons with disabilities, by any agency, department, public corporation, public instrumentality and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is also hereby precluded. The use of decisions of federal administrative agencies or courts to refuse or restrict the offering of services and programs paid with funds of the People of Puerto Rico is hereby precluded. The courts and government agencies of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall implement a liberal interpretation of the statutes related to the rights of persons with disabilities that is in harmony with the principles enunciated in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the social purpose of protecting, defending and vindicating the rights of persons with disabilities.
History —July 2, 1985, No. 44, p. 155, added as § 15 on Sept. 16, 2004, No. 355, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512 - Definition

For the purposes of this chapter, the term “person with disabilities” refers to any person who has a physical, mental or sensory disability that substantially limits one or more of the essential activities in his/her life, has a medical record or history of physical, mental or sensory disability, or is considered as having a physical, mental or sensory disability.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512c - Rehabilitation and independent living

(a) All persons with disabilities shall be entitled to be informed and have the greatest possible access to programs and initiatives that promote their physical or mental rehabilitation. The Government and its dependencies shall promote an integral, holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to rehabilitation and the use of innovative intervention strategies geared toward expediting their capabilities for development to the maximum degree.
(b) The Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall promote the study of and access to the most effective and advanced services and equipment for technological assistance, that is, those essential for their daily living, to allow the population of persons with disabilities to study, work and live independently and to improve their quality of life.
(c) The departments, agencies, instrumentalities, public corporations, municipalities, and any entity of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that offer educational and rehabilitation services to this population shall promote and be empowered to establish agreements and negotiations for the purchase at reasonable prices of technological assistance equipment to guarantee that the disabled population may use such equipment to cope and interact adequately.
(d) The Department of Consumer Affairs shall be empowered, if it so deems necessary, to regulate, on behalf of the public interest, matters concerning access to and purchase of technological assistance equipment for persons with disabilities, including the control of prices and the regulation of profits of the suppliers of said equipment.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512d - Housing

Persons with disabilities are entitled to housing adapted to their needs. Adapted housing shall correspond to construction designs that eliminate movement-limiting architectural barriers and guarantee the safety of persons with disabilities. The interior of the housing unit shall be designed so that the daily living of the person with disabilities or the care by a person in charge is facilitated as much as possible, particularly in the area of the bathroom, the kitchen and the bedroom. To further the achievement of the right to an adapted housing unit for each person with disabilities, the following obligations shall hereby be imposed upon the Government:
(1) The Department of Housing, no later than April 30 of each year, shall render an annual report to the Legislature on the need for and access to adapted housing in Puerto Rico. The report shall include the number of adapted housing units in existence, the number of adapted housing units built that year in particular, and the number of adapted housing units included in affordable housing projects.
(2) It shall be the obligation of the Department of Housing to require from developers who request incentives for additional investments to adapt housing to the needs of persons with disabilities that during the promotion and sales phases of the projects they disclose the availability of housing units built according to such needs. Moreover, the Department of Housing shall promote the “universal design” concept of construction in new housing.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512e - Data base

The Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities shall keep available a data base on the statistics of the number of persons with disabilities and the type of disability each suffers. Every department, agency, instrumentality, public corporation, municipality and entity of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall maintain available databases on the offer and demand statistics about the services for persons with disabilities according to the jurisdiction of each public entity.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512f - Annual report

The Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities, no later than April 30 of each year, shall render an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature on the implementation and progress of this legislation. Said report shall include recommendations for legislation to address the needs of persons with disabilities within the juridical framework applicable in Puerto Rico.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512g - Nonprofit institutions

Nonprofit institutions that render direct and specialized services to persons with disabilities may be authorized in writing or in any other irrefutable manner by said persons to claim the benefits set forth in this chapter on behalf of the persons with disabilities they assist. Those nonprofit institutions that render direct and specialized services shall be entitled to compete under equal conditions for the public funds available for proposals. Upon selecting one institution over another, the decisive factors shall be the need and demand for the service they offer, as well as the wellbeing of the population of persons with disabilities.
Nonprofit institutions rendering direct and specialized services to persons with disabilities shall be entitled to expedited administrative procedures to address their request for public services, as well as to have their proposals attended promptly.
The proposals shall be addressed within a period of not more than three (3) months from the moment in which the department, agency, instrumentality, public corporation, municipality or any other entity of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico certifies that all the required documents have been submitted for the evaluation of such proposals. The payments shall be made based on §§ 2301—2305 of Title 3, better known as the “Act to Establish a Down Payment System for Government Purveyors of Goods and Services”, unless there is a written agreement indicating otherwise.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512h - Compliance with the requirements of the Government

Any person with disabilities who requests that services be rendered by any department, agency, instrumentality, public corporation, municipality or any other entity of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall comply with the specific requirements set forth by each of these public entities and the legislation or jurisprudence in effect.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512i - Development of the strategic plan

It shall be the duty of all departments, agencies, instrumentalities, public corporations, municipalities and any other entities of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to prepare a strategic plan within their dependencies in order to comply with all the departments and provisions of this chapter. Therefore, the agencies, instrumentalities, public corporations, municipalities and any other entities of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall have eighteen (18) months from the date of approval of this act for preparing such a Strategic Plan and present the same to the Governor and to the Legislature to make the proper budgetary request for the implementation of the same. In the same, it shall be the obligation of the agencies to include in such Strategic Plans solutions and programs for rendering services to persons with disabilities of all ages, paying attention to the population over twenty-one (21) years of age. Furthermore, the Office of the Advocate for Disabled Persons may provide the corresponding advice regarding the need for or preparation of the Strategic Plan of the department, agency, instrumentality, public corporation, municipality and any other entity of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on available services, legislation in effect or the creation of administrative orders or necessary regulations to be adopted for the implementation of this chapter.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 13.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 21A - Bill of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 512 — 512m) › § 512j - Noncompliance

It shall be the duty of the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities to oversee faithful compliance with the provisions set forth in this chapter.
Any person, natural or juridical, public or private who dos not comply with the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to the penalties set forth in subsection (a) of § 532q of Title 3, part of the act also known as the “Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities Act”.
History —Aug. 31, 2004, No. 238, § 14.