reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 34B - Puerto Rico Motion Picture Arts, Sciences and Industry Development Corporation Act (§§ 592 — 599a) › Subchapter VII - Special Fund (§§ 598 — 599a) › § 599a - Use of Commonwealth property

The Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, its agencies, instrumentalities, and public corporations or of the municipal governments shall cede the use of their properties, at no cost, for the purposes of filming documentaries, advertisements, feature films and short films for commercial movies. To these ends, the Board of Directors shall establish by regulations the procedures through which said cessions shall be made, under reasonable terms and conditions. Provided, further that the regulations shall provide that in cases of historical monuments the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture shall be consulted. Upon authorization for using such properties, a public responsibility policy shall be required to cover any expenses for damages that may be caused to the property in which the filming is made.
History —Aug. 17, 2001, No. 121, added as § 10.04 on Aug. 28, 2002, No. 205, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 34C - Artistic Promotion and Communications Industry Development and Promotion Act (§§ 600 — 600d) › § 600 - Work group

In a term not greater than sixty (60) days following the date of approval of this act, a work group shall be created, which shall be constituted by the Executive Director of the Trade and Export Company, the Executive Director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the President of the Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation, the Commissioner of the Cooperative Development Commission, the President of the Actors’ Association, the Executive Director of the Musical Arts Corporation, the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Cinematographic Arts, Sciences, and Industry Development Corporation, the General Manager of the Luis A. Ferré Fine Arts Center Corporation, and two (2) representatives of the private sector, to be appointed by the Governor. The works shall be coordinated by the Director of the Trade and Export Company. This work group shall be entrusted with the task of evaluating and making specific recommendations on the objectives, ends, and purposes that are to be pursued in order to achieve the maximum development of this sector.
History —June 24, 2004, No. 161, § 3; Aug. 5, 2007, No. 104, § 2; Apr. 27, 2012, No. 65, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 34C - Artistic Promotion and Communications Industry Development and Promotion Act (§§ 600 — 600d) › § 600a - Effective term

The Work Group shall remain in functions for two (2) years, term within which it shall fulfill the duties and functions hereby assigned, or until the agency or body that is to assume the definitive jurisdiction takes over by virtue of the corresponding legislative determination.
History —June 24, 2004, No. 161, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 34C - Artistic Promotion and Communications Industry Development and Promotion Act (§§ 600 — 600d) › § 600b - Duties

(a) It shall be responsible for setting in motion the establishment of the public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in favor of that sector, for which it shall prepare a work plan; it shall develop and adopt bylaws; it shall designate the advisory committees it deems pertinent; and it shall summon to meetings as appropriate.
(b) It shall prepare a budget draft that strengthens the definitive concretion of the industry. This draft shall be submitted to the Legislature, together with a work plan and a recommendation as to the Commonwealth agency or body that should assume the definitive jurisdiction over the industry, after the works of this interagency group have concluded.
(c) It shall prepare, in coordination with the Director of the Cooperative Coordination and Education Division of the Department of Education, a plan for the advancement and development of youth school cooperatives within the sphere of this chapter which would gradually insert them effectively into the communications and artistic production industry.
(d) Once the public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has been conceived as [a] collaborative inter-institutional effort, the Work Group shall summon the participation of as many public and private entities [as] are able to contribute to the definitive concretion of the project herein established.
(e) It shall determine the public institutions or bodies that should integrate into the implementation of the public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; private entities may join in by invitation, without this being a limitation for the entity that is to definitively govern and direct the Industry to exercise its discretion to that respect in the future.
(f) It shall summon to quarterly meetings, during its effective term, with the institutions or bodies it deems should integrate into the project.
(g) Once its functions are concluded, the Work Group shall submit a report on its efforts and the results obtained therefrom to the Legislature.
History —June 24, 2004, No. 161, § 5; Aug. 5, 2007, No. 104, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 34C - Artistic Promotion and Communications Industry Development and Promotion Act (§§ 600 — 600d) › § 600c - Strategic plan

In a term not greater than sixty days as of the date of approval of this act, the work group designated by § 600b of this title shall begin the drafting of a strategic plan. This plan shall be the main instrument to make the growth of this sector viable.
Said plan shall cover all aspects, both direct and indirect, related to the growth of the industry, and shall include the following:
(a) Competitive reinforcement of the industry.
(b) Creation of jobs.
(c) Technological modernization.
(d) Interconnect with the remaining economic sectors.
(e) Identify tax and salary incentives in existence and prospective incentives that might be created through legislation.
(f) Identify access to financing available for these sectors.
(g) Exportations.
(h) Public relations and marketing.
History —June 24, 2004, No. 161, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 34C - Artistic Promotion and Communications Industry Development and Promotion Act (§§ 600 — 600d) › § 600d - Industry Components

For the purposes of this chapter and the objectives it pursues, the following sectors constitute an integrated part of the communications and artistic productions industry:
(a) The theater.
(b) Television producers.
(c) Advertising.
(d) Actors.
(e) Music.
(f) Plastic arts.
(g) Artistic shows.
(h) Fine arts, visual arts, theater, dance, communications and music youth school cooperatives.
History —June 24, 2004, No. 161, § 7; Aug. 5, 2007, No. 104, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 601 - Short title

This chapter may be cited as the “Metropolitan Bus Authority Act”.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 602 - Definitions

The following terms, whenever used or referred to in this chapter, have the following meanings, except where the context indicates otherwise:
(a) Authority. — Means the Metropolitan Bus Authority created by this chapter, which shall, for constitutional purposes, operate as a private enterprise or business.
(b) Board. — Means the Board of Directors of the Authority.
(c) Bonds. — Means the bonds, temporary bonds, refunding bonds, debentures, notes, provisional or interim bonds, receipts, certificates or other evidences of indebtedness or obligations which the Authority is authorized to issue pursuant to this chapter, but shall not include the debts or accounts incurred in the usual course of business for expenses of the Authority.
(d) Undertaking. — Means any piece or pieces of property, or combination thereof, real, personal or mixed, owned, operated, managed, controlled or used or intended to be owned, operated, managed, controlled or used by the Authority, in connection with any of its activities, including, but without limitation, any and all system or systems, terminal stations and buildings with offices and commercial premises, for its own use or for rent to other entities or persons, offices, equipment, supplies, fuel, energy, services, facilities, structures, garages and parking spaces — whether or not such spaces are used for parking the Authority’s own vehicles — plants, vehicles and rolling stock, together with all parts and appurtenances thereof, that are or may be used, useful or convenient in conducting or performing any of the activities or services usually performed by common or public carriers of persons or property or activities or services auxiliary or supplemental thereto.
(e) Federal agency. — Means the United States of America, the President or any department thereof, or any corporation, agency, or instrumentality heretofore or hereafter created, designated, or established by the Government of the United States of America.
(f) Holder of bonds =roor =it bondholder. — Or any similar term means any person who is the bearer of any outstanding bond or bonds registered or not registered to bearer or the owner, according to the register, of any outstanding bond or bonds which at the time are registered other than to bearer.
(g) Words used in the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa; the masculine gender shall be regarded as inclusive of the feminine, and vice versa; and words referring to persons shall include firms, partnerships of all kinds, corporations, or any other [juridical] person.
(h) Intermediate capacity vehicle =roor =it minibus. — Shall mean a motor vehicle having a capacity to convey from fourteen to thirty passengers.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 2; Aug. 30, 1961, No. 9, p. 346, § 1; July 23, 1974, No. 241, Part 2, p. 229, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 603 - Creation

(a) A body corporate and politic constituting a public body and governmental instrumentality of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is hereby created, to act on its own authority, by the name of the “Metropolitan Bus Authority” (hereinafter in this chapter called “The Authority”), and shall be a public corporation having legal existence and personality separate and apart from those of the Government and from any of the officers thereof.
(b) The debts, obligations, contracts, bonds, notes, debentures, receipts, expenditures, accounts, funds, undertakings and property of the Authority, it officers, agents or employees shall be deemed to be those of said government-controlled corporation and not to be those of the Commonwealth Government or of any office, bureau, department, commission, dependency, municipality, branch, agent, officer or employee thereof.
—May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 3.
History
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 608 - Moneys and accounts

(a) All moneys of the Authority shall be deposited in qualified depositories for funds of the Government of Puerto Rico; but they shall be kept in a separate account or accounts in the name of the Authority. Its funds shall be disbursed pursuant to such regulations and budgets as the Board of Directors may approve.
The President and General Manager shall, upon consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and with his approval, set up the accounting system required for the proper statistical control and record of all expenses and income belonging to or managed or controlled by the Authority. The said Secretary of the Treasury shall require that the accounts of the Authority be kept in such manner as appropriately to segregate, insofar as advisable, the accounts in respect of the different classes of operations, projects, undertakings, and activities of the Authority. The Comptroller of Puerto Rico or his representative shall from time to time examine the accounts and books of the Authority, including its receipts, disbursements, contracts, leases, sinking funds, investments and any other matters relating to its financial condition, and shall report thereon to the Board of Directors, the Governor of Puerto Rico, and the Legislature.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 609 - Bylaws

The regulations of the Authority shall govern the internal operation thereof and shall determine the conduct of the users, in addition to the attributions, duties and responsibilities of its officials or functionaries, as well as the procedures that shall govern the acquisitions and contracts for supplies, services and the construction of works. The regulations shall be approved by the Board of Directors and may be amended by it.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 9; Apr. 21, 1998, No. 67, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 610 - Acquisition of property by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for the Authority

Upon request of the Authority, the Governor of Puerto Rico may, by the exercise of the right of eminent domain, acquire in the name and in behalf of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, title to any property or interest therein which the Board of Directors deems necessary or convenient for the purposes of the Authority. The Authority shall make available to said officer in advance such funds as may be required to pay for such property, and, upon acquisition thereof, shall reimburse the Commonwealth Government for any amount paid that has not been previously advanced. Upon such reimbursement to the Commonwealth Government (or, if the total cost or price has been previously advanced by the Authority, within such reasonable period as shall be determined by the Governor) title to the property so acquired shall pass to the Authority. The power hereby conferred shall not limit or restrict in any manner the power of the Authority to acquire property. The title to any property of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico heretofore or hereafter acquired, and considered necessary or convenient for the purposes of the Authority, may be transferred to the Authority by the official in charge of said property or having the custody thereof, upon such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Governor of Puerto Rico.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 611 - Grant of property by municipalities and political subdivisions to the Authority

Subject to the provisions of § 606 of this title, any other provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, all municipalities and political subdivisions of Puerto Rico concerned are authorized to grant and convey to the Authority, at its request and upon reasonable terms and conditions, there being no need for a public sale to be held or for other formalities of law additional to the executing of the pertinent deed, any property or interest therein which the Authority may deem necessary or convenient to effectuate its own purposes. Within the area fixed and prescribed in § 606 of this title, the Authority shall have the right and power to construct or place any part or parts of any of its undertakings across, on, over, under, through or along any street, public highway, or any land now belonging or which may hereafter belong to the Commonwealth Government, or any municipality or political subdivision concerned, with the approval of the Puerto Rico Planning Board. The Authority shall restore any such street, highway, or land to the condition or state it was at the beginning of the work and shall not use same so as to unnecessarily impair the usefulness thereof.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 614 - Agreement of the Commonwealth Government

The Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico does pledge to, and agree with, any person, firm or corporation, or any federal or state agency, or any agency of the Commonwealth, subscribing to or acquiring bonds or other securities of the Authority, that it will not pignorate, limit or restrict the bonds, revenues, rentals, rights or powers hereby vested in the Authority until all such bonds, at any time issued, together with the interest thereon, are fully met and discharged.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 14.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 615 - Remedies of bondholders

(a) Any holder of bonds of the Authority or trustee therefor shall have the power and the right to equal benefit and protection as enjoyed by all bondholders under equal circumstances, but subject to any contractual limitations applicable to the holders of bonds of any issue, or trustee therefor, including, but without it being construed as a limitation, the restriction of the exercise of any remedies to a specific group of such holders:
(1) By mandamus or other action, suit or proceeding, to compel the Authority, its President and General Manager, and its officers, agents and employees, to perform and fulfill their duties and obligations pursuant to this chapter, and their covenants with the bondholders.
(2) By action or suit, to require the Authority and its President and General Manager to account as if they were the trustees of an express trust.
(3) By suit or action, to enjoin any acts or activities which may be unlawful or in violation of the rights of the bondholders.
(4) To bring judicial actions based on the bonds.
(b) No remedy conferred by this chapter upon any bondholder or any trustee therefor shall be construed as exclusive of any other legal remedy; on the contrary, each such remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to any other remedy and may be exercised without exhausting, and irrespective of, any other remedy conferred by this chapter or any other act. The waiver of any default of duty or contract, whether by any bondholder or trustee therefor, shall not extend to or affect any subsequent default of duty or contract, or impair any rights or remedies arising from such subsequent default. No delay or omission of any bondholder or any trustee therefor to exercise any right or power accruing upon default shall impair any such right or power; and it shall not be construed to be a waiver of any such default or acquiescence therein. Every substantive right and every remedy conferred upon the bondholders may be enforced or exercised at any time and as often as may be deemed expedient. In case any suit, action, or proceeding to enforce any right or exercise any remedy of the bondholders shall be brought or taken by them or by any trustee therefor, and then discontinued or abandoned, or shall be determined adversely to the holder of the bonds or any trustee therefor, the Authority or such holder or trustee shall be restored to their former positions with regard to any subsequent suit, action or proceeding, with the same rights or remedies as if no such suit, action, or proceeding had been brought or taken.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 15.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 616 - Commonwealth not liable on bonds

The bonds issued by the Authority shall not be a debt of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any of its municipalities or political subdivisions, and neither the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico nor any such municipalities or political subdivisions shall be liable thereon, nor shall such bonds be payable out of any funds other than those of the Authority.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 16.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 617 - Bonds as legal investments

The bonds of the Authority shall be legal investments, and may be accepted as security, for all trust funds, special or public, the investment or deposit of which shall be under the authority or control of the Government of Puerto Rico or any officer or officers thereof.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 17.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 618 - Declaration of public utility

For the purposes of §§ 606(h) and 610 of this title, all works, projects, and property and their accessories, which the Authority may deem necessary and convenient to use in carrying out the purposes expressed in this chapter, are hereby declared of public utility.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 18.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 35 - Metropolitan Bus Authority (§§ 601 — 620) › § 620 - Reports

The Authority shall submit to the Legislature and to the Governor of Puerto Rico, as soon as practicable after the close of each fiscal year of the Commonwealth Government, but prior to the end of the calendar year:
(1) A financial statement and complete report of the business of the Authority for the preceding fiscal year, and
(2) a complete report on the status and progress of all of its activities since the creation of the Authority or from the date of its last such report. The Authority shall also submit to the Legislature and to the Governor of Puerto Rico, at such other times as may be required, official reports of its business and activities under this chapter.
History —May 11, 1959, No. 5, p. 17, § 20.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 625 - Public policy

The Government of Puerto Rico reiterates its recognition of the cooperative model as essential in the business setting for the attainment of a sustainable and well-balanced social and economic development centered in human beings and their communities.
In order to empower such recognition, it is the public policy, the mandate, and the express intent of the Legislature to:
(a) Have the State proactively incorporate the cooperative model in its initiatives and efforts to seek the economic development of the Island.
(b) Promote an increasingly active role of the Cooperative Movement, so as to reduce dependency on government interventions, with the aim to eventually have the Cooperative Movement itself assume full control over its development.
(c) Have the organizational, human, and economic resources of the Government of Puerto Rico and the Cooperative Movement become integrated by strategically redistributing their functions and responsibilities, with the purpose of reinforcing the Cooperative Movement’s philosophy, increasing the economic and social activity generated under the cooperative model, and maximizing measurable results.
(d) Develop and promote the self-growth of the Cooperative Movement and the interconnection of the various sectors such as business, industry, transportation, agriculture, consumer, savings and credit, and insurance, and others offered under such model.
(e) Develop an efficient and competitive entrepreneurial vision to better serve its members and their communities.
(f) Have the adoption of measurable growth and development parameters.
(g) Seek, pursuant to the Sixth Cooperative Principle (Cooperation among Cooperatives), the concurrence of purpose of first- and second-degree cooperatives to advance the public policy of Cooperative Movement furtherance at cooperative base level.
(h) See to the financial strength and integrity of the Cooperative Movement of Puerto Rico by seeking the fair, equitable, and effective supervision and oversight of Cooperatives in order to:
(1) Propitiate the Movement’s solvency, solidity and competitiveness worldwide;
(2) propitiate the socioeconomic development of Puerto Rico, and
(3) propitiate an expeditious, modern, and flexible financial public policy that assures balance and equitability among the interests of depositors, members, and the development of the Cooperative Movement.
(i) Preserve the financial integrity and the actuarial sufficiency of the share and deposit insurance fund provided by the Public Corporation for the Supervision and Insurance of Cooperatives of Puerto Rico.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 2, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 626 - Definitions

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings stated below:
(a) Cooperative Development Administration. — Means the government agency created by virtue of Act No. 89 of June 21, 1966, as amended.
(b) Cooperative. — Means any cooperative entity duly constituted and authorized to operate as such in Puerto Rico under the applicable laws, including their subsidiaries and affiliates. This term also includes subsidiaries, financial second-degree enterprises, and non-financial cooperative enterprises organized as Savings and Credit Unions under §§ 1361 et seq. of Title 7, known as the “Cooperative Savings and Credit Unions Act of 2002”, as well as any entity organized, incorporated or promoted by the Investment and Cooperative Development Fund (FIDECOOP).
(c) Insured cooperative. — Means the cooperative savings and credit unions covered under the share and deposit insurance provided by the Corporation.
(d) Cooperative savings and credit union. — Means any cooperative entity duly constituted and authorized to operate as such under §§ 1361 et seq. of Title 7, known as the “Cooperative Savings and Credit Unions Act of 2002”, or any successor law.
(e) Second-degree cooperative. — Means a cooperative whose members are other cooperatives. This includes the Cooperative Bank of Puerto Rico, created under §§ 751 et seq. of Title 7, and insurance cooperatives.
(f) Insurance cooperatives. — Means cooperative insurers organized and authorized under §§ 101 et seq. of Title 26, known as the “Puerto Rico Insurance Code”.
(g) Diverse cooperative. — Means any cooperative entity duly constituted and authorized to operate as such under §§ 4381 et seq. of Title 5, known as the “General Cooperative Associations Act of 2004”, or any successor law.
(h) Corporation or COSSEC. — Means the corporate entity operating under the name of Puerto Rico Public Corporation for the Supervision and Insurance of Cooperatives, created under §§ 1334 et seq. of Title 7.
(i) Investment and Cooperative Development Fund or FIDECOOP. — Means the nonprofit corporation incorporated by the Cooperative Development Administrator pursuant to the provisions of §§ 481 et seq. of this title.
(j) Cooperative Movement Institute. — Means the body that operates as an education center for people involved in the Puerto Rican Cooperative Movement and the general public, attached to the Social Science School of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.
(k) Office of the Inspector of Cooperatives. — Means the government agency created by virtue of Act No. 89 of June 21, 1966, as amended.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 3, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 627 - Creation and purposes

The Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission, hereinafter the “Commission”, is hereby created as a juridical person of the Executive Branch that is independent and separate from any other public agency or entity, not to be subject to any other department, agency, dependency or instrumentality of the Government of Puerto Rico. The purpose of the Commission shall be to accomplish the objectives of the public policy set forth in this chapter, as well as to further the policies and objectives established by its Governing Board. The Commission shall group under its jurisdiction various government and quasi-public entities that discharge functions in connection with the Cooperative Movement. The Commission shall constitute the main hub for the definition and implementation of government strategies to develop and further the Cooperative Movement. Furthermore, the Commission shall establish an expeditious and efficient coordination between and among its components and shall make room for close collaboration between and among the Government of Puerto Rico, academia, and the Cooperative Movement proper.
The Commission shall also ascertain that entities organized under the cooperative model conform to Cooperative Principles as adopted and defined by the International Cooperative Alliance and that their operations faithfully abide thereby, thus preventing a misuse of the cooperative entrepreneurial model. The goal to have the Cooperative Movement play an effective role in the socioeconomic endeavor of Puerto Rico, shall be thus accomplished.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 4, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 628 - Governing Board—Composition

The Commission shall be governed by a Governing Board composed of ten (10) standing members and two (2) adjoined members. Adjoined members shall have an advisory function within the Governing Board and shall have voice participation in meetings but no vote. The Governing Board shall be constituted as follows:
(a) Standing government representation. —
(1) The Cooperative Development Commissioner, who shall chair the Governing Board.
(2) The Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce, who may delegate his/her participation onto a high-ranking official of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.
(3) The Director of the Cooperative Movement Institute.
(4) The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources, who may delegate his/her participation onto a high-ranking official, that is, onto an Undersecretary or an Assistant Secretary, as applicable.
(5) The Secretaries of Housing and Agriculture, who shall alternate every two (2) years as participating members of the Governing Board. Provided, That these may delegate their intervention at the Governing Board onto an agency high-ranking official, such as an Undersecretary or an Assistant Secretary, as applicable. The first two (2) year turn shall be assumed by the Secretary of Housing as of the date of approval of this act.
(b) Standing cooperative movement representation. —
(1) One (1) representative from the Cooperative League, appointed by its Board of Directors.
(2) One (1) representative from cooperative savings and credit unions who is a member of a Board of Directors of a Cooperative Savings and Credit Union base, elected by such cooperatives, as provided further below.
(3) One (1) representative from insurance cooperatives, appointed by these, as provided further below.
(4) One (1) representative from cooperative savings and credit unions who is the Executive President of a Cooperative Savings and Credit Union base, elected by these cooperatives, as provided further below.
(5) One (1) representative from organized diverse cooperatives, elected by these cooperatives, as provided further below.
(c) Adjoined members. —
(1) The Executive President of the Corporation.
(2) The Executive Director of the FIDECOOP.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 5, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 629 - Governing Board—Meetings and quorum

The Governing Board shall meet in regular session at least once (1) a month, but may hold special meetings as necessary to handle business as it may deem pertinent.
The quorum required for meetings of the Governing Board shall be six (6) standing members. The decisions of the Governing Board shall require vote by the absolute majority of the standing members attending.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 6, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 630 - Governing Board—Reimbursement of expenses and per diems

Private sector members of the Governing Board shall be entitled to receive a per diem equal to the minimum per diem established for the members of the Legislature of Puerto Rico for each meeting they attend or for each day in which they are fulfilling tasks relative to the function entrusted to them by virtue of this chapter. Governing Board members who once were officials of the Government of Puerto Rico shall not receive any compensation for their services. The Commission shall establish in its bylaws any mechanisms as necessary for the payment of per diems and the reimbursement of expenses to the private sector, as certified by the Secretary thereof.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 7, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 631 - Governing Board—Responsibility of its members

Governing Board members who are not public officials shall be eligible for coverage under the provisions of §§ 3077 et seq. of Title 32, known as the “Claims and Lawsuits against the Commonwealth Act”, as amended by Act No. 9 of November 26, 1975, as amended.
Governing Board members shall be subject to the provisions of §§ 1801 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Ethics in Government Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”. They shall be also governed by the following ethical standards:
(a) Governing Board members listed herein shall refrain from discussing, analyzing, considering, evaluating and otherwise participating in matters appertaining to the institutions in which they serve as executive officers or members of governing bodies. No member of the Governing Board shall disclose or use information or documents acquired while discharging his/her functions for purposes extrinsic from such discharge.
(b) It is hereby provided that neither the Commissioner nor any other Governing Board members, individually, shall be financially liable for any action taken in the course of the discharge of their duties and powers under this chapter, insofar as they are not acting intentionally or unlawfully, and in the awareness that they may inflict any harm, or for their own benefit or to benefit a third party.
(c) The Governing Board may adopt, by vote of seven (7) out of the total ten (10) standing members, bylaws to set forth its operations, the ethical norms that shall apply to all members, and the procedural norms relative to the settlement of disputes. Such bylaws shall define, among other things, any confidentiality norms as may be appropriate for the operations of the Board, which rules may not impede Cooperative Movement representatives from freely discussing with cooperative bases any matters of public policy, regulation, and development of the Cooperative Movement not related to administrative proceedings of an adjudicative or an investigative nature in connection with specific situations, cases or circumstances of any particular cooperatives or persons.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 8, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 633 - [Biennial] conference

The Commission, together with the Cooperative League and the Cooperative Movement Institute of the University of Puerto Rico, shall hold every two (2) years a [biennial] conference on the Cooperative Movement and Social Economics, wherein the situation, needs, problems, and opportunities of the Cooperative Movement and social economics shall be discussed. The Conference shall especially discuss, but not be limited to, issues such as:
(a) Matters most recently affecting the Cooperative Movement.
(b) The expansion of the cooperative model beyond sectors in which the Cooperative Movement is already involved.
(c) The integration of the Cooperative Movement and all other third-sector components, that is, nonsectarian community-based and nonprofit organizations.
(d) Any issues as the Governing Board may deem pertinent.
(e) Other subjects which the Cooperative Movement itself may propose in order to empower its development.
The Commissioner shall call to the [biennial] conference at least sixty (60) days before the date the conference is to be held through two (2) newspapers of general circulation and in any other communications media as may be necessary and reasonable. The Commissioner shall also issue written notice to cooperative bases, to second-degree bodies, and to community-based and nonprofit institutions so as to encourage the most ample access and participation possible. The calling notice shall request the presentation of written position papers of a substantive or an academic content to enrich discussions at the conference. The Commissioner shall keep a record of position papers delivered and the recommendations thereby presented and publish a report wherein the outcomes of the conference shall be gathered. Provided, That the works and publications of the [biennial] conference shall neither substitute nor repeal the particular plans, strategies, and initiatives of the institutions that compose the Cooperative Movement itself.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 10, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 634 - Special Fund for the Formation, Organization, and Incorporation of Youth Cooperatives

The moneys collected on account of administrative fines imposed by virtue of this chapter or the regulations thereunder, as well as any surplus from the Commission, including appropriated budget items unused by the Commission, shall be covered into a Special Fund under the responsibility of such entity, not subject to the public policy contained in §§ 283—283p of Title 3, known as the “Puerto Rico Government Accounting Act”. The moneys thus covered into the Fund may be used in the formation, organization, and incorporation of youth cooperatives in schools and communities throughout the Island, in addition to the yearly budget appropriations that the Commission may receive for such purposes. This Fund may also receive voluntary contributions from first-, second-, and third-degree cooperative associations, as well as from attached entities.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 10A, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 637 - Attachment of entities

(a) The Public Corporation for the Supervision and Insurance of Cooperatives and the Investment and Cooperative Development Fund are hereby attached to the Commission as its operating components; Provided, That any determinations by such entities which involve public policymaking must be consistent with the public policy of cooperative development as such policy may be made and interpreted by the Governing Board of the Commission. Attached entities shall render periodical reports to the Commissioner and the Governing Board pursuant to the parameters that the latter may set in the Commission bylaws.
(b) The Governing Board shall have the power to resolve possible inconsistencies between norms, regulations, procedures, circular letters or operating policies of attached entities, as refers to their approval, application, and construction, and the public policy of cooperative development. The Board shall adopt norms and procedures to expediently address such possible inconsistencies to thus prevent the impairment of the public policy of cooperative development as well as any delays in the operations of attached entities. The determination of the Board may reaffirm the operating policy under discussion or declare the same to be inconsistent with the public policy of cooperative development, in which case, said operating policy shall be rendered ineffective as per the determination of the Governing Board. Determinations of the Governing Board relative to the approval or disapproval of operating policies that are possibly inconsistent with the public policy set forth in this chapter or any other to be promulgated by such body, as provided for in § 632 of this title, shall be final and not be subject to review by another body, except when the Board itself may deem that a reconsideration is in order and except for judicial reviews in the event it is found that the determination has been made capriciously, arbitrarily, or in violation of the due process of law.
(c) Any person with an interest, including but not limited to, any of the members of the Governing Board and any cooperative, may petition such body to consider any arguments presented before the body as to possible inconsistencies within the public policy, which petition shall conform to the norms set forth by the entity proper through regulations to that effect. Public policy reconciliation proceedings held by virtue of the foregoing provisions shall not be subject to §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, also known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act”.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 13, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART II - Economic Development (§§ 231-241 — 695i) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission Organic Act (§§ 625 — 644) › § 640 - Public Corporation for the Supervision and Insurance of Cooperatives—Attachment and delegation of functions onto the Commission

The Public Cooperative Savings and Credit Oversight and Insurance Corporation is hereby attached to the Cooperative Development Commission. The Corporation shall operate under the provisions of §§ 1334 et seq. of Title 7; Provided, That all functions and authorities of the Corporation, including those described in subsection (d)(11)(B) of § 1334b of Title 7, which involve the formulation and adoption of norms or rulemaking or public policymaking shall be exercised within the context of the public policy made by the Governing Board of the Commission and subject to compliance with the provisions of this chapter.
Likewise, the budget of the Corporation shall be submitted to the Governing Board of the Commission for its evaluation and approval within the broadest context of the public policy formulated by such Board; Provided, That no determination of the Corporation or of the Governing Board may be made so as to impair the integrity and actuarial sufficiency of the fund that backs the share and deposit insurance provided by the COSSEC.
In service of the broadening of the functions and the jurisdiction of the Corporation, the Executive President of the Corporation is hereby ordered to draft and present a new administrative organizational chart that takes the following public policy objectives into consideration:
(a) Recognizing the differences between supervising financial and non-financial cooperative enterprises.
(b) Implementing preventative, technical-support, and managerial mechanisms to strengthen the operations and competitiveness of all cooperative entities.
(c) Recognizing the need for the Corporation to advance and support the development and expansion efforts of the Cooperative Movement, underlain by the foundations of economic and moral solvency.
(d) Discharging the function of overseeing and inspecting in an effective and economical manner conducive to institutional betterment.
The new administrative organizational chart shall be designed and submitted for the consideration of the Board of Directors of the Corporation with a copy to the Governing Board of the Commission within a term not greater than 120 days as of the approval of this act. The Board of Directors of the Corporation shall consider and approve the new administrative organizational chart thus proposed with any modifications as it may deem pertinent, providing expressly for the implementation process. Prior to its implementation, the new administrative organizational chart shall require the express approval of the Governing Board of the Commission.
History —Aug. 10, 2008, No. 247, § 16, eff. Feb. 1, 2009.